The unique characteristics of agricultural cooperatives are likely to affect the availability of the funding they can access. This paper analyses the determining factors behind the financing decisions made in these cooperatives, and the management and organisational implications these decisions have for these entities. Financial information obtained from a sample of 106 Spanish agricultural cooperatives was used to calculate the variables that modelled the research hypotheses, which were then introduced into regression models to determine which ones had a significant effect on their financing decisions. According to the economic theory of cooperativism, the results show that these entities come closer to the pecking order theory, i.e. policies that maximise the prices received by members to the detriment of the entity’s self-financing abilities, coupled with restrictions on cooperatives’ equity capital that may lead them to use debt to fund growth. The results also show positive relationships between cooperatives’ indebtedness and other factors, such as investments in non-current assets, liquidity and cooperative size in terms of turnover per member.

Achieving excellence in public education center management is a means to attain higher quality in education. This can be reached by implementing performance management. This article proposes a comprehensive management tool, in the form of a balanced scorecard (BSC), for non-university public education centers, using the EFQM excellence model as a framework for the implementation, evaluation and improvement of quality. This management system brings TQM practices to education centers and is specifically designed to cater for their individual requirements. In our study, a strategic map of these organizations was devised after cause and effect relationships were identified based on their strategic objectives, and after defining the different areas in which action was required. The Delphi method enabled us to obtain a set of indicators which were identified by experts as being particularly relevant for measuring performance and monitoring strategy. Based on a qualitative analysis of the results, a BSC was drawn up. Its validity and reliability were proved by the high level of consensus reached by the experts. This tool will lead to improved efficiency in the management of educational centers, and is a valuable instrument to better understand factors that determine the performance of educational management and the achievement of excellent results.Key words: EFQM model; TQM; public education centers; balanced scorecard; Delphi method. 2 IntroductionThe international economic crisis has revealed a need for greater effectiveness in public administration in order to bring about more sustainable development. Loss of the public sector's credibility as a managing agent of citizens' wellbeing has led governmental institutions to act by applying principles of economy, efficiency and efficacy (Verbeeten & Spekle, 2015). Public education centers have been included in the process undertaken to enhance managerial efficiency and effectiveness. New Public Management (NPM) has been included as a mechanism to improve the quality of education by increasing the managerial efficacy of schools and by applying principles from the business sector to the running of education centers (Campatelli, Citti & Meneghin, 2011;Aoki, 2015). The essence of this philosophy lies in efficiency, efficacy and economy; that is, management that is capable of meeting customer (citizen) requirements at the lowest possible cost. Integrating these principles reflects the need to apply economy and efficiency criteria when using public resources, encouraging management tasks, and designing quality education projects.To promote excellent management of educational institutions, Spain has selected the European EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) excellence model for education as the mainstay of its total quality management (TQM) (Calvo-Mora, Leal & Roldán, 2005). Applying the TQM philosophy to an organization determines the need to monitor compliance with the established strategic objectives and, consequently, achieve management excellence, as ...

The art market operates in a very different way from conventional economic markets, ranging from its behaviors of supply and demand, the trading of goods, and the economic agents intervening in it. In addition, it is a highly unregulated market, with very little standardized information in economic terms. This paper focuses on art galleries, which are the most influential intermediaries in the Spanish primary contemporary fine-art market and perform a role that goes beyond the mere distribution of works of art. This study develops and applies a prospective methodology based on the subjective information compiled by experts, known as the Delphi method, to identify and evaluate the factors that determine the current situation and future outlook for Spanish contemporary art galleries. The results show, on one hand, that the method employed constitutes a valid option to provide reliable information. In addition, they show that the survival of these organizations will depend on their ability to adapt to the changing conditions of the economic environment, reactivating and internationalizing demand, and redirecting their business model towards sustainable management by implementing appropriate business management models and techniques.

This paper describes the development and the conclusion of the meeting the professors of the Faculty of Business Administration in charge of the “point of control” subjects of the soft skill “Problem Analysis and Solving” (CT3) in the first and second level, held May 6th, 2019. The professors share their experience in implementing assessment methods in every subject following the guidelines of the general project of the UPV. The main conclusion is that the professor feels alone and has to find imaginative methods to assess the soft skill in a reliable way. Also, extant multiplicity of assessments of the skill contribute to certain confusion in the final consequence of the assessment in each subject, and hence a simplification is proposed.

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