Vol. 16 No. 1 (2022)

This issue of the Journal of Globalization, Competitiveness, and Governability continues with its commitment to our readers, in terms of frequency and quality criteria that are internationally accepted and audited by a number of institutions. GCG is currently indexed in: SCOPUS (Elsevier Bibliographic Databases. Scimago Journal Rank), Categories: Business, Management and Accounting, Economics, Econometrics and Finance; EconLit (American Economic Association's electronic bibliography); EBSCO Publishing databases (Business Source Complete; Business Source Premier; Business Source Elite; Fuente Académica Premier; Fuente Académica Plus); and ABI/INFORM (ProQuest; LATINDEX; REDALYC; Google Scholar Metrics. This drive for quality has seen GCG categorised as an A-level Journal (top category) of all the Spanish Journals dealing with the human and social sciences by Web of Science and/or SCOPUS (ISOC-CSIC). In 2021, we received 48 articles, with an acceptance rate of 22,9%.

The objective of the first article is to study the factors that explain the exporting company's preference for trade policy at the country level, in the face of a global context of uncertainty. Based on a survey of the main exporting companies in Uruguay, the study shows that the higher the exporting proportion of the firm and the more diversified the destinations of its exports, the higher its preference for an open trade policy. For the authors, Nicolás Albertoni and Roberto Horta (Universidad Católica del Uruguay), the study highlights the growing uncertainty of entrepreneurs in complex international contexts such as the current one, leaving the challenge of continuing to delve deeper into the subject.

Gender economic equality in Latin America-Caribbean is behind the Sub-Saharan region, limiting regional competitiveness and social justice. Juan Rivera-Mata (University of Maryland Global Campus, USA) has found a negative regional correlation between political empowerment and women's economic participation, being associated with economic growth, democracy and wage equality. The author recommends that policymakers focus on economic equality, enhance redistributive fiscal policies, improve democracy, governance and competitiveness, shift from sex (female) to gender (social) policies for equality, reduce voluntary educational segregation with early educational interventions, and care and family support to alleviate the social burdens associated with being a woman.

The United States is the main consumer of avocados, and to meet its demand it imports large quantities from Mexico. The following article aims to determine the feasibility of increasing the annual growth rate of exports to the U.S. market. To carry out the research, Daniel Hernández-Soto and José Porfirio González-Farias (Tecnológico Nacional de México in Celaya), represent the international avocado market between Mexico and the United States in an econometric model and, through a partial equilibrium analysis, a 30% increase in exports in one year was simulated. According to the results, an increase in the quantity of Mexican avocado exports to the United States at an annual growth rate of 30% is feasible. The simulation shows that the Benefit/Cost Ratio for avocado producers in Michoacán, Jalisco and Estado de México is positive.

Spain is one of the main producers of canned fish in Europe and this is a very important economic sector for its economy. For Adrián Dios-Vicente, Raúl Rios-Rodríguez, Sara Fernández-López and David Rodeiro-Pazos (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain), in recent years part of the companies in the sector, mostly small and medium-sized enterprises, are suffering from liquidity problems and low profitability that may be associated, in part, with working capital management. Using a sample of 377 companies for the period 2010 - 2018, this paper performs an economic-financial analysis of the sector focused on working capital management and corporate profitability. The results obtained point to the need for companies to review their short-term financing patterns, as well as their current asset investment policies.

In the following article Yndira Bravo Apolinario, Deborah Kelly Porras Quispe, Pedro Bernabe Venegas Rodriguez and Mauro Jesús Camacho Gadea (Universidad Continental, Peru), try to investigate, comparatively, banking concentration in Peru. The data were collected from financial companies regulated by the Superintendence of Banking, Insurance and AFP in the period 2001-2020. Eight indicators were analyzed. In addition, with qualitative scope, it can be affirmed that the Concentration Ratio, the HHI and the Horvath index are the ones that best describe banking concentration and show a high concentration in the Peruvian market. For the authors, these results allow to evaluate the attractiveness of the market to make decisions regarding investments, mergers, opening of new markets, among others.

Vagner Horz, Monique Couto Accadrolli, Anderson Betti Frare and Ana Paula Capuano da Cruz (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, Brazil), analyze the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reputation on organizational commitment as mediated by job satisfaction. The resulting survey sample includes directors and managers of business units of one of the largest cooperative credit systems in Brazil, and the data are analyzed using structural equation modeling. To the authors, the results suggest an overall mediation of job satisfaction between CSR reputation and organizational commitment. The findings contribute to the literature on CSR reputation, job satisfaction and organizational commitment, as well as provide insights into organizational practice.

I would once again like to thank all those who have made this journal possible: members of the Advisory Board, the Editorial Board, Editors and Associate Editors, assessors, authors and, last but not least, the readers.