Fernando Casani

Visibility in international rankings. Strategies for enhancing the competitiveness of Spanish universities

The world-wide popularity of university rankings has spurred the debate about the quality and performance of higher education systems and has had a considerable impact on global society in light of the internationalisation of higher education. While useful for policy makers, such rankings also furnish information on an institution’s “prestige”, which may in turn contribute to more effective resource capture (students, funding, projects). Certain university profiles and missions may prevent many universities from climbing to higher positions, however. One important question in this regard is: how many of a country’s universities can stand at the top of international rankings? The present article attempts to answer this question on the grounds of a study of the Spanish higher education system, and more specifically of an institutional alliance consisting of four high quality universities. A series of research activity indicators drawn from the IUNE Observatory are used to compare this alliance to leading Spanish and international universities and explore whether their visibility and consequently their position in international rankings would be enhanced if they were able to appear under a joint identity. This prospective study also addresses a series of strategies that the Spanish higher education system might implement to successfully rise to the challenges posed by future scenarios.

Emotions’ management within the Real Madrid football club business model

Recent changes in the sports industry – derived from increasing financial pressures – have led to the update of existing business models. Particularly in football, the dominant clubs develop new business models based on the spectators’ commitment to the sport. Packed stadiums attract more people who consume both the matches and the many other associated goods and services. In an experience economy, the lever is the tapping of their emotions by an increasingly sophisticated value proposal. Groups of passionate supporters lead the way to the establishment of communities with a common interest in the club. Following a qualitative methodology (interviews and other texts’ analysis) our study of the Real Madrid Football Club (RM) business model suggests that one of the biggest football clubs in the world is creating a business model based on the emotions of its supporters. This finding could be useful for other clubs in many different countries.

The mattress makers: emotions and value proposal in Atlético de Madrid.

Atlético de Madrid (ATM) Football Club has a single-hearted fan base regardless of the sport results, unlike megaclub’s fandoms (like Real Madrid, from the same city) that demand a steady stream of sporting triumphs. Literature is sparse about how second line clubs that must compete with megaclubs from the same city for a fan base develop a sustainable value proposal based on their fans’ emotions. We analyse the content of interviews with followers, TV-ads and financial statements to deal with ATM’s emotional base comprised of eleven emotions. Emotions like pride secure a fandom base loyal to ATM even in the absence of wins. Findings suggest that ATM’s value proposal (based on fandom satisfaction) focuses on a niche of fierce modern-style supporters with emotions attuned to the club’s performance.

An exploratory analysis of knowledge management in business cooperation agreements: the Hidrolution case in Colombia

The objective of this study is to identify and analyse the alliances between small and medium-sized enterprises for internationalisation purposes pointing out how knowledge and information are managed. An agreement between a Colombian and a Spanish enterprise focused on an innovative water purification system will be analysed. A case study, based in semi-structured interviews, was used as the methodology for this project. Results show that the enterprises will work better within the alliance once they have protected their resources, especially their knowledge and information and when there is transparency about achieving their goals.

Why Do Networks Exist

Organizational change modifies the relationship between the organization and its environment. Using a methodology based on literature revision and analysis, we point out that the growing social importance of networks is related to the shrinking of hierarchy and to organizational knowledge creation. The network response to present challenges has certain virtues: flexibility, smaller costs, and its capacity to diminish the probability of error in decision making. Knowledge use could be characterized as a chain starting with the social capital that shapes the available resources for organizational knowledge. These resources are the networks and the know-how. Networks and know-how are the dynamic delimiters of knowledge creation. The chain closes at this point: knowledge usage is the seed of social capital. Networks are simultaneously social performance instruments and depots of social accumulated knowledge.