For the photografy assignment, we had to play with and work on our own photos.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Madrid street fairs
Madrid has many interesting street fairs, that get really crowded on the weekends. One of the most famous is Rastro Flea Market, in the La Latina neighborhood. The little Christma´s markets spread by the center area are also a city´s atraction.
For the photografy assignment, we had to play with and work on our own photos.
For the photografy assignment, we had to play with and work on our own photos.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
The hazardous path towards 2013, after the five years-crisis in Spain
In the end of December, Spanish families are going to
celebrate the sixth News Year party in a row blurred by the deep immersion in
one of the worst economic crisis the country has ever being throw. For the
population, the turn of the year´s natural hope is going to be hurt – once more
- by doubts, mainly about how long the downside will last and how far Spanish
families can deal with the economic restrictions they are being pressured by.
For the government, the main question must go further: what are the necessary
adjustments that Spain still has to do in order to finally turn the page?
The answers for those questions are still
undetermined. But, since the crisis´ first attack in the Spanish economy, the
country has learned many lessons. “After
five years, we have finally realized that this crisis is serious and we are
making some changes. But, we still have many adjustments to be made”, says Fernando Fernández, chairman of Economics of IE
Business School.
Looking behind, the factors for why the crisis hit
harder Spain than other European countries were defined basically by the highly
connection between the building market and the banks activities, the long-term
loans and the unsustainably of the public sector.
Spanish joined European Union in a different moment of
the economic cycle in comparison with other European countries. In an ascending
curve of growth, the country had higher interest rates, which was forced to
decline with the integration to the EU and the European Central Bank (ECB)
monetary policy definitions.
The result of it was a movement involving the growth
of the liquidity in the market, the companies asking for credit to expand its
borders, families spending and government investing. Regional semipublic savings banks (cajas) lended heavily to real estate companies which went
bankrupt, then, these banks found themselves left with the collateral and
properties of those companies.
“We ignored how the exchange rate works. We should
have realized it was a temporary condition. And a credit bubble urged. Besides
of that, we ignored the deep relation between banks and real state after the
euro, and the unsustainably of the public sector, who received low taxes but
had high expenditures”, explains Fernández. “It was clear that we were building
an economic system that could not resist to any economic change”,
completes. And, the changes have came
like a bomb with the increasingly interdependence between the European
countries, also suffering with the crisis.
The consequences are well-known: scary unemployment
rates, high public debt, plunge in construction rates, decreasing GDP together
with increasing inflation, nationalization of banks, rescue loans from the
eurozone funds (the so-called Troika: European Commission, ECB and International Monetary Fund) and austerity measures, social dissatisfaction.
According to Fernández, besides applying the austerity
measures to redress the long term economic development of the country, in the
last years the government started to make adjustments, as the ones that
occurred in the labor force area, which
improved the productivity of the workers and corrected some dysfunctions
in the labor laws. These measures gave more flexibility and made it cheaper for
companies to hire or cut wages from workers.
Also, the recapitalization of the banks - €100bn of
rescue loans, agreed by eurozone finance ministers, in 9 June 2012 - gave a
breathtaking to the financial system. The companies, in turn, started to pay
attention in productivity and to the external economies, focusing its actions
in the emerging markets.
“We have done many things and I think we can recover,
but the problem is that everything we hear from the European Commission is
´you have to reduce expenditure, you have to reduce debt´. Reduce, reduce and
reduce. I am positive it is necessary for the long term, when we are going to
be healthier. But, who knows if we are going to be able to survive in the short
term?”, questions Patricia Gabaldón, PhD in Economics and professor
of Economic Environment at IE Business School.
However, it is still not possible to see the results
of the Spanish reforms (positive or not) in the economic data. According to the
World Bank, the Spanish Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth came from -3,7% in
2009, 0,1% in 2010 and 0,7% in 2011. For 2012, IMF predicts the sharpest
decline, of 1,5%. For 2013, Spain will decline again, 0,6%.
The Goldman Sachs analysts’ projections do not show a
different reality. For this year they expect a 1,3% decline and for 2013, a
1,7% decline. “We see a deterioration in the outlook for economic activity in
the whole Euro area”, said the bank in a report released last week. For the
institution, to grow, Spain needs to shift resources from domestic activities,
such as construction and public services, to tradables and improve the
productivity.
“We still have to make fiscal adjustments, restore the
trust in the Spanish market, rebuild competitiveness, restore the saving rate
of the country and better control the banks credit”, completes Fernández.
With so many uncertainties surrounding the country´s near future and
a lots of changes to make, the year 2013 for the Spanish people can be a
long, a very long year.
This text is an assignment for the Globalization class
The ignorance of Dell
The costumers ' needs and
complains finally found a way to manifest themselves and show up. Internet
and social media is the common place in which the costumers got stronger
and became able to reverberate their opinion. It is a irreversible
trend, no longer questionable. Dell, as a big multinational from the
technological industry should have considered that, while facing the
episode of the American journalist and blogger Jeff Jarvis. In that
case, being silent and ignoring the power of internet was the worst
decision Dell has taken.
Dell made clear its lack of focus in the costumers needs from the beginning. Jeff Jarvis posts in his personal blog BuzzMachine.com entitled "Dell lies. Dell sucks" and " Dell Hell" - in which he complains basically about the equipments and poor company's costumer service - maybe would never have happened if the company had an effective area responsible for solving costumers' complains. Or if Dell had competent channels able to approach clients.
As soon as Dell didn't have it, Jeff Jarvis' posts became a real weblog saga. All unsatisfied Dell 's clients found in his blog a place to also scream. " I updated my audience with my latest tales of transoceanic frustration", says the journalist in an article written for The Guardian. Facing this movement, Dell should have given some answer. The strategy "look, don't touch" described by a Dell PR executive as the company's blog policy in an interview for the Houston Chronicle, is at least outdated.
The Dell's attitude facing the first Jeff Jarvis' post should have been contacting him and trying to solve his problem. In the first signs that his complains were becoming a internet hit between Dell's clients, the company should have developed a strategy to improve its area of costumers service and the PR area should announce those changes. Besides of that, the PR and Communication area of Dell should have made more effort in order to better approach journalists, bloggers and decision makers. With the proximity with this group, the company could have had more control about their opinion.
With its lack of attitude, Dell lost its opportunity to use social media in order to better understand some company's problems, better approach its clients and grasp the chance of having free consultancy and marketing research - something that the internet places for users opinions really offers nowadays.
Internet and social media - and the freedom common people now have to give their opinion, show their interests and needs - can be seen as a threat or as an opportunity by the companies. It is not easy to follow everything that is talked about their business in internet (and, by the way, the majority of the comments are not even relevant), but companies must have a team alert to the big movements and ready to act in pro of its image. Recognize the mistakes and show the market you are making efforts to get better also has a great value. The attitude of ignoring costumers complains - no matter in what media - definitely worsens company's reputation.
This text is an assignemt for Technology Immersion class.
Dell made clear its lack of focus in the costumers needs from the beginning. Jeff Jarvis posts in his personal blog BuzzMachine.com entitled "Dell lies. Dell sucks" and " Dell Hell" - in which he complains basically about the equipments and poor company's costumer service - maybe would never have happened if the company had an effective area responsible for solving costumers' complains. Or if Dell had competent channels able to approach clients.
As soon as Dell didn't have it, Jeff Jarvis' posts became a real weblog saga. All unsatisfied Dell 's clients found in his blog a place to also scream. " I updated my audience with my latest tales of transoceanic frustration", says the journalist in an article written for The Guardian. Facing this movement, Dell should have given some answer. The strategy "look, don't touch" described by a Dell PR executive as the company's blog policy in an interview for the Houston Chronicle, is at least outdated.
The Dell's attitude facing the first Jeff Jarvis' post should have been contacting him and trying to solve his problem. In the first signs that his complains were becoming a internet hit between Dell's clients, the company should have developed a strategy to improve its area of costumers service and the PR area should announce those changes. Besides of that, the PR and Communication area of Dell should have made more effort in order to better approach journalists, bloggers and decision makers. With the proximity with this group, the company could have had more control about their opinion.
With its lack of attitude, Dell lost its opportunity to use social media in order to better understand some company's problems, better approach its clients and grasp the chance of having free consultancy and marketing research - something that the internet places for users opinions really offers nowadays.
Internet and social media - and the freedom common people now have to give their opinion, show their interests and needs - can be seen as a threat or as an opportunity by the companies. It is not easy to follow everything that is talked about their business in internet (and, by the way, the majority of the comments are not even relevant), but companies must have a team alert to the big movements and ready to act in pro of its image. Recognize the mistakes and show the market you are making efforts to get better also has a great value. The attitude of ignoring costumers complains - no matter in what media - definitely worsens company's reputation.
This text is an assignemt for Technology Immersion class.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
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