Elena Meliá Martí

El gobierno interno de las mayores cooperativas agroalimentarias españolas y su relación con el rendimiento

The present study aims to analyze the relationship between the governance structures of the largest Spanish agri-food cooperatives and their business results, in order to verify - if, as has been shown in recent studies on European agri-food cooperatives - cooperatives showing greater innovation In their governance structures (in aspects such as the professionalization of management, inclusion of proportional voting or presence of external experts in the Boards of Directors or Supervisors), present better results than the cooperatives that do not possess these attributes. The results obtained corroborate that the performance (measured in turnover per member) of the Spanish agri-food cooperatives analyzed is positively affected by the introduction of some innovations in their internal governance systems, such as the inclusion of external experts in the Council Rector and Supervisory Board. In addition, the study yields other conclusions related to the size or size of the cooperative, and it is found that larger cooperatives (measured in this case by the volume of assets) are able to provide a greater and significant yield; As opposed to the number of partners whose effect on performance is significant and negative.

Identification and Measurement of Complementarity Variables in Strategic Projects of Water Irrigation from the Sustainability Practices. Case: Republic of Ecuador

Based on the assessment of water resources in Ecuador and strategic water projects in this country, questions were raised about the need to complement these projects under the sustainability approach, effectively balancing the original intentions, needs and environments with the services currently offered. To do so, 32 variables of complementarity were identified and characterized: 7 economic variables, 11 environmental variables and 14 social variables. These variables were used to perform an expert panel assessment of 16 strategic projects from the irrigation water sector in Ecuador. Experts assessed the current implementation of such practices, the performance level achieved and their relative importance. The results allow to identify, assess and prioritize gaps in such projects, in existing complementarity from the initial planning stages, providing a basis to address these gaps in future projects.