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This paper aims to identify the main dimensions that determine the ability of cities to compete as locations for business and hubs for investment which can help policymakers to manage and prioritize urban development strategies.

A composite indicator is proposed as a weighted aggregate of sub-indicators for the identified component dimensions (basic, efficiency-related and innovation-related competitiveness). The indicator is used to draw up a ranking of 159 European Large Urban Zones (LUZs) located in 26 EU countries based on 31 indicators, broken down into the three core dimensions of urban competitiveness identified.

The dimensions underlying urban competitiveness in relation to the location of firms and attracting investment determine the level of economic development of the LUZs. The most competitive cities in the sample have a high level of economic development, and the innovation dimension is the most significant one for the three groups of cities considered, followed by the efficiency dimension and, to a lesser extent, the basic dimension.

The findings provide guidance to policymakers on the most relevant dimensions for urban competitiveness.

This paper contributes to the literature shedding light on the complex relationships between efficiency-related and innovation-related factors with regard to urban competitiveness.

The current state of globalization is aggravating the inequalities within globalized cities and is generating a high degree of conflict. If we seek to find out to what extent ghettos, agents in conflict or if there is a situation of unsustainable imbalance caused by this degree of inequality, we should consider the objective data and the social consciousness of stratification enclosed in social interaction of the people living in neighborhoods in global cities. This chapter explains how we can study this topic with an example: a town in the Metropolitan Area of Madrid in 2012, with a theoretical perspective that asks about how the human space is today and how everybody builds his social identification, and a methodology that uses the problem-centered interview to collect data. From this perspective, it is discussed whether the new urban social structure tends to be dual or fragmented. When social awareness is studied, it may be understood that urban people tend to develop fragmented identities today based on leisure and family that bond everyone with other by small groups or weak bonds. However, into a poor urban area, there are other boundaries that a lot of people recognize based on class and ethnic differences that mean polarization and conflict, but these ones work only in particular problematic situations. So, the image of system of stratification in large cities appears to be a dynamic thing, under the influence of a series of different factors which are not only global but also local.

The history and development of urban transportation sysems in Brazil are reviewed in some detail. Early urban developments were served by rail and relied upon the rail transit systems but this has deteriorated since the 1930s as a result of high urban growth rate. Rail transport has chiefly been replaced by buses and micro‐buses, and latterly by cars but these have compounded rather than improved the situation. Industrialisation in the 1950s had a profound effect as existing networks were unable to cope with rapid urban development and growth. The social implications of transport costs, wasted travel time, the development of slum areas in inner cities, are considered and viewed as a poor reflection on an industrial and urban economy such as Brazil. The conclusion is drawn that the transportation system may ultimately jeopardise the continuity of Brazil′s industrialisation and modernisation.

The purpose of this study is to compare the spatial distribution of Airbnb and hotels in London and examine the relationship between demographic, socioeconomic and environmental factors and the supply of these two types of lodging supply.

Local information of Airbnb listings in London was collected through Insideairbnb.com. Gathered data were examined using geo-spatial auto-correlation analysis and spatial econometric models.

The results indicate that Airbnb predominates in the areas around popular tourist attractions and the peripheral areas of the city, while in the downtown area Airbnb and hotels are in the state of coexistence. The mono-centric model and the agglomeration model could be extended to the context of peer-to-peer accommodation. The location of Airbnb and traditional hotels capitalizes on different factors.

The study is based on secondary data due to data availability. And, it is based on the case of London, so the findings may not reflect the situation of small cities and rural destinations.

This study not only gives suggestions for local councils to regulate the location of hotels and Airbnb but also provides professional landlords with reference to choosing Airbnb location.

This study extends the hotel location theoretical models into the context of Airbnb and sheds lights on the distinction between these two business models in terms of location factors.

爱彼迎和酒店的位置：空间分布和关系

本研究旨在比较伦敦Airbnb和酒店的空间分布, 并探讨人口、社会经济和环境因素与这两类住宿供给的关系。

伦敦Airbnb房源信息通过Insideairbnb.com网站收集, 采用地理空间自相关分析和空间经济计量模型进行分析。

结果表明Airbnb主要集中在旅游景点周边和城市周边地区, 在市中心地区, Airbnb与酒店处于共存状态。单中心模型和聚集模型适用于共享住宿情境。Airbnb和传统酒店的空间分布影响因素的重要性存在差异。

本研究将酒店区位理论模型扩展到Airbnb情境下, 并揭示了这两种商业模式在区位因素方面的区别。

本研究采用二手数据。案例地为伦敦, 因此研究结果可能无法反映小城市和乡村旅游目的地的情况。

地方政府应更加重视专业公司的劳动力保障并限制旅游景点周边的短期租赁。

Ubicación de los hoteles y preferencias: distribución espacial y relaciones

El propósito de este estudio es comparar la distribución espacial de Airbnb y los hoteles en Londres y examinar la relación entre los factores demográficos, socioeconómicos y ambientales y la oferta de estos dos tipos de oferta de alojamiento.

La información local de los anuncios de Airbnb en Londres se recopiló a través de Insideairbnb.com. Los datos recopilados se examinaron mediante análisis de autocorrelación geoespacial y modelos econométricos espaciales.

Los resultados indican que Airbnb predomina en las zonas aledañas a los atractivos turísticos populares y las zonas periféricas de la ciudad, mientras que en la zona centro Airbnb y los hoteles se encuentran en estado de convivencia. El modelo monocéntrico y el modelo de aglomeración podrían extenderse al contexto de la acomodación entre pares. La ubicación de Airbnb y los hoteles tradicionales se basa en diferentes factores.

Este estudio amplía los modelos teóricos de ubicación de hoteles en el contexto de Airbnb y arroja luz sobre la distinción entre estos dos modelos comerciales en términos de factores de ubicación.

El estudio se basa en datos secundarios debido a la disponibilidad de datos. Y se basa en el caso de Londres, por lo que los hallazgos pueden no reflejar la situación de las ciudades pequeñas y los destinos rurales.

Los hallazgos sugieren que las autoridades locales deberían prestar más atención a la seguridad laboral de las empresas profesionales y restringir los alquileres a corto plazo alrededor de las atracciones turísticas.

Urban poverty, mobilization, leadership, communication

This case is intended for graduate/postgraduate and MBA courses that discuss management issues in relation to corporate social responsibility, business and society or global issues. This case was successfully tested in an MBA course on sustainable development. These teaching notes result from this in-class experience.

The morning of January 22, 2009. Cali, Colombia – Alicia Meneces was a member of the inaugural panel of the Simposio Internacional: Microfinanzas y Construcción de Paz (International Symposium: Microfinance as a Tool for Peacebuilding). The panel was composed of Álvaro Uribe (President of the Republic of Colombia), Enrique Garcia Rodriguez (President of the Development Bank of Latin America-CAF) and Luis Alberto Moreno (President of the Inter-American Development Bank). Her presence contrasted with that of the other panelists on several accounts: she was the only woman, she was the only panelist with direct and daily experience in poor neighborhoods and she was the only one familiar with the everyday processes of community mobilization in relation to microcredit in underprivileged communities. The case focuses on the message that Alicia Meneces intended to deliver to the audience of the Symposium based on her trajectory as a woman, as a community leader, and as the founder of the first Grameen microfinance institution in Colombia.

After using this case, students will be able to improve their understanding of poverty traps in developing countries; appreciate the challenges of living in poverty and the mechanisms of poverty production; and understand different forms of leadership.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

The current era is characterized by hyperturbulence, population growth, attention to food security, the need to identify sustainable strategies to reduce pollution and poverty, and the disparity between developed and undeveloped economies. These circumstances force a global paradigm shift based on sustainable practices and processes that put people and the environment at the core of each activity, contributing to sustainable, social, and economic development and promoting well-being in the community.

In this spirit, a strong impulse can derive from the practices of Green Technology, considered here as that set of processes aimed at eco-sustainability that acquire undisputed relevance, especially for emerging economies.

This chapter focuses on the role that Green technology practices exert in generating local well-being in the world's fifth-largest country: Brazil. Dynamic growth and effective social policies lifted millions of people out of poverty in the 2000s, even if socio-economic development varies widely across the country. Brazil is a leading global agricultural, minerals, and oil producer. The natural environment represents the primary source of Brazil's development that deserves to be protected and push firms and citizens to find new sustainable solutions based on green policies. Drawing inspiration from a Brazilian case study, this chapter proposes a set of building blocks that foster sustainable business practices in emerging countries.

The chapter is organized as follows: the first part introduces the concept of green technology practices; the second highlights the opportunities of green technologies; the third focuses on a single case study.