María de-Miguel-Molina

The Importance of Creative Industry Agglomerations in Explaining the Wealth of European Regions

This paper examines the existence of regional agglomerations of manufacturing, service and creative industries, the relationship between these industries and the wealth of regions and their industrial structure. Through an analysis of 250 European regions, three important conclusions can be inferred from the results obtained in this paper. The first is that creative industries play an important role in the wealth of a region. The second is that the most creative regions are characterized by having more high-tech manufacturing industries than the rest of the regions although the number of low-tech manufacturing firms is similar. Lastly, the industrial structure of each region has a greater influence on regional wealth than the existence of industrial agglomerations. The importance of this paper resides in the fact that up until now no analysis has demonstrated that creative industries are the most important industries in regional wealth.

Are Mergers a Win-Win Strategic Model? A Content Analysis of Inter-Institutional Collaboration between Higher Education Institutions.

The main goal of this paper, based on a content analysis of the literature about models of inter-institutional collaboration between higher education institutions, is to establish the characteristics that set them apart, contextualize each of these models in terms of the features of the setting in which they are implemented, and ascertain their advantages, drawbacks and potential benefits for the institutions that use them. This has involved employing appropriate keywords to identify the most relevant studies that have examined models of inter-institutional collaboration. The paper concludes that detailed study is required when choosing a particular model of inter-institutional collaboration, especially mergers, as the desired economies of scale do not always materialize, research and teaching results may not improve and it is unclear what the optimal size for achieving efficiency is.

A Comparative Empirical Study on Mobile ICT Services, Social Responsibility and the Protection of Children

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the Spanish mobile phone industry to determine how mobile phone companies and certain institutions can improve protection for children who use mobile phones. We carried out a multivariate statistical analysis using anonymous primary data from mobile phone companies, and institutions and associations that protect children, to compare these stakeholders’ opinions and to put forward solutions. We proved that, even though some European countries have made an effort to provide safer ICT services, all stakeholders still need to cooperate and agree on solutions to the commercial problems associated with children using mobile phones. This can be done by signing codes of conduct. We found that even though some companies implement measures to protect children from accessing harmful content via their mobile phones, they do so for reasons of legal and not social responsibility.

An exploratory study on the privacy of children's images in Spain's most widely used social network sites (Tuenti and Facebook)

The aim of this paper is to analyse regulation and self-regulation of the images used by children on the most widely used social network sites in Spain. To reach our goal we have studied the related literature, especially ‘The Safer Social Networking Principles for the European Union’ voluntarily adopted by the industry in 2009, and have made an exploratory analysis to compare the social network sites (SNS) Tuenti and Facebook. We conclude that, in the case of child images, it is difficult for SNS to control all the content and this means that self-regulation is more focused on children as actors.

Importance of Indoor Aerial Filming for Creative Industries (CIs): Looking Towards the Future

Aerial photography and filming represent an indispensable resource for the Creative Industries (CIs), deploying activities like registration of artwork and heritage sites. When filming in confined (indoor) spaces, auxiliary devices as cable cams, camera rails, jibs, scaffolds or lifting platforms are being employed, enabling film directors to obtain special camera shots or to perform graphical surveying and recording of heritage sites or buildings. With the rise of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), commonly known as drones, film producers are increasingly focusing on their use for outdoor aerial photography and filming, since RPAS provide significant advantages over current photography and filming techniques such as the expansion of creative spaces and movements of the camera. Also classical filming equipment is normally not adequate when shorter distances to the object are required, and by using RPAS this can be overcome while adding more possibilities for free movement for the camera operator. It is also less risky, as there is no need to climb up a scaffold, ladder or lifting platform to get professional results, and given that RPAS, compared to classical equipment, are small sized, mobile and do not need any support equipment. Thus, in summary, RPAS do not invade the film set. We can also find other advantages such as that complex and bulky auxiliary infrastructure such as cable cams, jibs, scaffolds, etc. become unnecessary and, therefore, logistics are easier and assembly and disassembly is faster; that RPAS require less space than traditional equipment; and that they are cheaper, as prices have dropped significantly and this creative tool is more accessible for small companies. The benefits of using indoor drones have not yet been deeply studied, and in this paper, industry needs and expected characteristics to enhance its use are analyzed.

What is Influencing the Sustainable Attitude of the Automobile Industry

The automotive industry is considered one of the most environmental aware manufacturing sectors. The aim of this study is to determine if there are any characteristics that differentiate automotive companies in environmental attitudes through the quantitative analysis of a sample of 224 companies belonging to the Spanish automobile industry. The chapter also provides an overview of the implications and constrains due to the integration of eco-design in a real company of the automotive sector giving a vision of the legislation applicable referred to eco-design, the adaptation of the constructor standards and some examples of general rules of the product and process design to satisfy these requirements, as well as the environmental policy that affects its decisions.

Development of an Indoor Drone Designed for the Needs of the Creative Industries

With this contribution, we want to show how the AiRT system could change the future way of working of a part of the creative industry and what new economic opportunities could arise for them. Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), also more commonly known as drones, are now essential tools used by many different companies for their creative outdoor work. However, using this very flexible applicable tool indoor is almost impossible, since safe navigation cannot be guaranteed by the operator due to the lack of a reliable and affordable indoor positioning system which ensures a stable flight, among other issues. Here we present our first results of a European project, which consists of developing an indoor drone for professional footage especially designed for the creative industries. One of the main achievements of this project is the successful implication of the end-users in the overall design process from the very beginning. To ensure safe flight in confined spaces, our drone incorporates a positioning system based on ultra-wide band technology, an RGB-D (depth) camera for 3D environment reconstruction and the possibility to fully pre-program automatic flights. Since we also want to offer this tool for inexperienced pilots, we have always focused on user-friendly handling of the whole system throughout the entire process. Keywords—Virtual reality, 3D reconstruction, indoor positioning system, UWB, RPAS, aerial film, intelligent navigation, advanced safety measures, creative industries.

Usability and Experience of the Creative Industries Through Heuristic Evaluation of Flight Software for Mapping and Photogrammetry with Drones

This work presents a heuristic analysis and evaluation of the main programs of mesh or mosaic flight plans for mapping and photogrammetry. The objective of this study was to identify the best designs linked to certain factors and usability elements to avoid errors and identify opportunities for optimization in the design of the Ground Control System (GCS) software. The GCS, through a graphical user interface (GUI), provides an advanced indoor navigation system for the drone, which was developed within the framework of the H2020 European Project AiRT (Arts Indoor RPAS Technology Transfer) (Definition of AIRT, chiefly Scottish: compass point).

How Does the Spanish Hospitality Industry Envision Its Eco-Innovation Orientation?

This study analyses the key factors in the environmental orientation of innovation processes at hotel companies. Using the model of structural equations and data retrieved from the Technological Innovation Spanish panel, we shed light on how the environmental orientation of companies is proactively affected by the typology of innovations and the existing relationship between the market drivers (customers, competitors, clients and suppliers) and companies’ environmental orientation. Based on the results, a validated partial least squares (PLS) graphical model is presented, which clarifies and quantifies established relationships among the different variables. Research gaps and future lines are also highlighted.

Successful Cases of the Use of Innovative Tools and Technology in the Creative Industries Field

The aim of this chapter is to present successful examples of technology and the creative industries complementing each other and working together, as well as to highlight how the transfer of tech-knowledge can be applied to creative industries, such as filming. In order to do this, we analyse in detail successful case studies between new technology and innovation in general, discussing some examples that are either currently emerging or fully consolidated. Subsequently, we explore the successful use of drones within creative industries in recent years, across a variety of culturally important industries such as professional photography, aerial photography and filming, advertising, the film industry, television, performing arts, video gaming, architecture and heritage. The aim of this to highlight the impact they generate in the creative sector, which in turn has led to a revolution in the means of generating content and creative experiences.