This dissertation is a research studies on the dynamics of Crafts its consumerism and contemporary significance within the developed and the developing countries leading to a better understanding of the critical factors and necessary conditions to build up effective strategies to enable craftspeople and organisations to adapt better to the requirements of contemporary society. This study contains relevant reference material to understand the meaning of crafts in different cultural contexts. It also analyses collaborative efforts and promotional strategies which local and international organisations are undertaking in response to new market opportunities for crafts. The outcome is to provide guidance and recommendations on possible new directions for successful exports to organisations and craftspeople concerned with these issues. Following the abstract and introduction, information on “crafts” as an economic issue in the UK and information about International organisations working for the development of crafts in the world such as UNESCO, the World Crafts Council and Aid to Artisans is given in Section I. Section II starts addressing the question that originated from the findings that arise from the review of the topic in section I followed by an explanation of the method of investigation used to carry out the research. This section will provide the reader with information of the Crafts Council and Artesanías de Colombia, the British and Colombian organisations selected as case studies. This section investigates what are the collaborative efforts and the strategies these organisations have undertaken to help craftspeople export their products. Literature review on the relationship design management and marketing and Internet-based research on craft’s promotion are also analysed. Section III will go on to analyse the critical factors that have an impact on the success of British and Colombian crafts within international markets. I will be attempting to respond the key question by discussing the following issues: Understanding the role of crafts in a consumer society, International organisations Vs national organisations, International markets – obstacles for successful exports, The market link – what it is necessary?, Internet – an economically viable promotional medium. Finally, this dissertation concludes with lessons drawn from current practices, which instruct on possible directions for a Colombian craft export model.

Based on the characteristics of the study area, and those of the fauna studied, corridor designs were proposed using a methodology that considered three main elements: 1) Evaluation of habitat use by wildlife; 2) Use of a Geographical Information System (GIS) to define corridor boundaries (pathways between habitat quality ranks); 3) Management regulations using the corridor as part of the landscape. Herbivores were consistently present in those areas covered by primary forest. Omnivores were located in a wider variety of covers (grass and agriculture, secondary forest, primary forest, melina). Wildcats were located in primary and secondary forest cover types (mainly used by their herbivore prey). The three guilds were maintained far from highways and human settlements but near forest and water resources. Several species crossed the highways that surround the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve (GDFR). Maps show that available habitat areas of ""excellent"" and ""good"" habitat quality features, were reduced for the species Panthera onca and Puma concolor, and their conflict areas were more extensive; this fact probably pushed these wildcats to move into heavily altered environments. This study reinforced affirmations about the necessity of corridors, based on identification of habitat that meets minimum quality requirements for wildlife (corridor users), and that defines or modifies their spatial distribution. The pathways designed by this procedure coincide with prior studies showing that critical areas for all wildcats species (and for other species related to them) were located north of Corcovado National Park (CNP), San Juan, Mogos, and the area where Piedras Blancas National Park (PBNP) borders the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve (GDFR). However, the spatial location of corridors is quite different in this proposal and other possible pathway was identified for P. onca and its prey. This pathway was found to be in conflict toward Drake and wetlands of Sierpe Terraba too.

Los principios morales de Occidente, al devenir un discurso civilizador, terminan por convertirse en un instrumento más de dominación que legitima los intereses de un grupo específico de Estados. En este contexto se plantea la problemática que constituye el objeto de este ensayo: ¿Es válida la intervención, que atenta contra el principio de soberanía consagrado en el derecho internacional, cuando éste se fundamenta en un discurso hegemónico sustentado por principios morales y mecanismos institucionales cuyo objetivo real es respaldar acciones dirigidas a consolidar zonas de influencia y satisfacer los intereses nacionales de las potencias dominantes en el contexto mundial? Esta apreciación estratégica de la moral tiene serias consecuencias en las dinámicas internacionales de poder que se reflejan en múltiples conflictos de dimensión interestatal y regional. El polo hegemónico mundial, liderado por un Estado occidental que ostenta el sistema de valores dominante, se enfrenta a otras potencias de gran peso e influencia que proponen una gestión de las relaciones internacionales bajo premisas distintas a las establecidas por el conjunto de países preponderante en el ámbito global. Ante la imposibilidad de establecer un cuerpo universal de valores que logre impulsar acciones compartidas por el conjunto de países del globo, se hace inevitable la tendencia a la formación de bloques estatales y sistemas de alianzas alrededor de discursos estratégicos, en un intento por contrarrestar la ideología que impregna el aparato institucional de toma de decisiones en el contexto internacional.

In Colombia the petrol supply sector lags well behind other sectors such as electricity supply, ports, and motorways, in undertaking an open policy. However, freeing the petrol supply market is considered necessary in order to release the state from the economic burden that it would otherwise have. This situation is particularly true in the oil industry, which is one of the most capital-intensive businesses. This thesis assesses the petrol supply chain in Colombia identifying the key driving factors, the companies involved and the challenges they are facing in the light of world and regional trends. In this way, a comparative assessment of the Colombian Oil Company (Ecopetrol) is undertaken looking at how other state-owned companies such as the Venezuelan, Brazilian, Mexican and the Argentinian are tackling similar problems. In addition, the thesis will assess what is the best trade off between importing and/or refining for supplying petrol to Colombia regarding three different schemes under three different scenarios of demand. The analysis considers environmental, institutional, technical and economic issues; the latter is assessed using a Linear Programming (LP) model. The paper concludes that the Colombian government should elaborate a white paper to restructure Ecopetrol. Administratively, the chairman should be appointed for a fixed period of time with the provide it with autonomy for selecting its most convenient business strategy. Ecopetrol should be opened up to both international competition and foreign partnership in order to compete in the global market. This would involve improving its competitiveness, pursuing international standards of efficiency and using benchmarking targets for its planning and development. In addition, the government and Ecopetrol should separate their accountancy; thus, subsidies for middle distillates consumed by low income groups should be funded through the national budget and not charged to Ecopetrol. Similarly, the government must commit to a policy of not withdrawing economic resources from Ecopetrol to finance independent projects. After undertaking this first series of measures, the next step should be setting a legal and stable framework for the capitalization and opening of Ecopetrol. In this way Ecopetrol should be listed in the stock exchange market both in the country and abroad initially offering a minority stake of its shares in the search for fresh capital, should reduce its political dependency and form strategic alliances to scale up its businesses and improve its efficiency.

L'expérience dans le métro est le résultat d'un parcours de vie volontairement assumé, où se mêlent les logiques de l'immigration et l'exclusion. L'étranger qui va pour rester, et surtout le sans papiers, arrive dans une situation où il est dépourvu d'éléments pour s'insérer dans le pays d'accueil. Sur le plan social, tous les liens qu'il avait constitués dans son pays de provenance sont absents, sauf les amis et les parents éventuels ou la solidarité d'origine qui peut être un appui dans un moment donné. Malgré tout, le processus pour arriver à se faire une place dans la société réceptrice est longue et n'est pas exempte d'inconvénients. La situation de départ pour l'étranger est, ainsi, une situation de «marginalité». Mais cette perception ne doit pas être prise dans le sens négative d'anomie. La volonté de l'individu qui arrive dans un pays étranger est de chercher des mécanismes ou des formules pour s'intégrer au milieu. «Qu'est-ce qu'il faut faire?» «Où est-ce qu'il faut aller?». Dans plusieurs cas, l'individu n'est pas tout seul, et il peut s'appuyer sur son réseau. Dans des communautés ethniques plus constituées, il trouvera un appui plus fermé. Mais pour ceux qui n'appartiennent pas à un tel groupe, la constitution d'une socialité s'effectue ailleurs, et la recherche de modes de survie est généralement réalisée en dehors des cercles sociaux traditionnels.

Como muchas personas, por circunstancias de nuestra vida tuve la oportunidad de conocer primero Estados Unidos y varios países europeos, antes de visitar el primer país vecino de Colombia. De ahí surgió el interés de planear un viaje a Venezuela, el país con el que compartimos más de 2000 km de frontera, el primer socio comercial, un territorio con el que en tiempos de la independencia formábamos la Nueva Granada. Me interesé en visitar tres puntos: Primero Caracas y los museos donde había información del libertador Simón Bolívar con la expectativa de encontrar valiosa información, dadas las continuas citas y presunta cercanía del actual jefe de estado venezolano con su legado. El segundo lugar, Ciudad Guayana y la infraestructura de desarrollo de la minería de hierro dada la circunstancia de que Venezuela tiene más altos niveles de desarrollo que Colombia en la industria siderúrgica y en la explotación y procesamiento de mineral de hierro. De igual manera mi interés era conocer el segundo proyecto hidroeléctrico más grande del mundo, la central de Guri o Raul Leoni, sobre el rio Caroní, ubicado a poca distancia de Puerto Ordaz, ciudad que pertenece al estado de Bolívar. El tercer punto de interés fue el Parque Nacional Natural Canaima, donde se encuentra el Salto Ángel que es la cascada más alta del mundo y el paisaje natural autentico y único que representan los Tepuyes, las montañas que parecen mesas con paredes verticales de hasta 2000 m de altura, que tienen la particularidad de poseer flora y fauna única e independiente del resto del planeta.

La tesis de maestría cuestiona los siguientes dos supuestos comunes en el tema de las drogas y las relaciones políticas internacionales: primero, que siempre se pueden esperar conflictos diplomáticos como resultado del fracaso de los intentos por reducir el tráfico de drogas ilegales, y Segundo, que el conflicto predomina entre países si tienen que tratar el tema de las drogas. El objetivo de la tesis es explicar por qué surge la crisis diplomática entre Estados Unidos y Colombia en 1995-1997 y no antes si se tiene en cuenta la similitud de las condiciones materiales, en términos de la gravedad del problema del narcotráfico y su grado de penetración en las instituciones colombianas, entre la administración Samper (1994-1998) y otras administraciones anteriores. Uno de los resultados importantes de la tesis es hallar la existencia de cooperación anti-drogas a nivel operativo al tiempo que se fractura la relación diplomática.

Recercara No. 1 (02 min. 04 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 2 (02 min. 10 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 3 (01 min. 19 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 4 (01 min. 32 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 5 (01 min. 45 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 6 (01 min. 01 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 7 (02 min. 34 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 8 (02 min. 12 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 9 (01 min. 35 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 10 (02 min. 27 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 11 (01 min. 50 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 12 (01 min. 07 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 13 (01 min. 13 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 14 (01 min. 35 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 15 (01 min. 56 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 16 (01 min. 56 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 17 (02 min. NaN sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 18 (01 min. 29 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 19 (02 min. 05 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 20 (02 min. 28 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 21 (01 min. 16 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 22 (02 min. 20 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 23 (02 min. NaN sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 24 (02 min. 40 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 25 (01 min. 29 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 26 (01 min. 32 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 27 (02 min. 01 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 28 (02 min. 37 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 29 (02 min. 41 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 30 (01 min. 06 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 31 (01 min. 39 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 32 (02 min. 40 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 33 (01 min. 56 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 34 (01 min. 56 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 35 (01 min. 39 sec.) / Sanguinazzo -- Recercara No. 36 (02 min. 42 sec.) / Sanguinazzo

Festival Coronation March (arr. G.J. Bennett for organ) (05 min. 58 sec.) / Tchaikovsky -- Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 (arr. W. Strickland for organ) (09 min. 55 sec.) / Barber -- Marche funèbre d'une marionnette (Funeral March of a Marionette) (arr. W.T. Best for organ) (05 min. 22 sec.) / Gounod -- Suite No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 28, No. 1: I. Chaconne (arr. H.G. Ley for organ) (05 min. 16 sec.) / Holst -- Finlandia, Op. 26 (arr. H.A. Fricker for organ) (08 min. 50 sec.) / Sibelius -- Präludium und Fuge in C Minor (version for organ) (13 min. 39 sec.) / Řezníček -- Suite in D major, Op. 49: IV. Romance (arr. A. Renaud for organ) (06 min. 03 sec.) / Saint-Saëns -- Siegfried, Act II: Waldweben (Forest Murmurs) (arr. J. Rogers for organ) (04 min. 23 sec.) / Wagner -- A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61, MWV M13, Act II: Scherzo (arr. S.P. Warren for organ) (06 min. 12 sec.) / Mendelssohn -- Praeludium (arr. G.B. Nevin for organ) (03 min. 10 sec.) / Järnefelt -- Aida, Act II: Grand March (arr. H.R. Shelley for organ) (05 min. 43 sec.) / Verdi

I. Presto (07 min. 33 sec.) / Beethoven -- II. Andante scherzoso, più allegretto (07 min. 54 sec.) / Beethoven -- III. Allegro molto (05 min. 36 sec.) / Beethoven -- I. Adagio sostenuto - Presto (11 min. 32 sec.) / Beethoven -- II. Andante con variazioni (16 min. 19 sec.) / Beethoven -- III. Finale: Presto (07 min. 05 sec.) / Beethoven