UPF Barcelona School of Management awards the best master's and postgraduate projects of the class of 2021

The UPF Barcelona School of Management (UPF-BSM) has awarded the best master's and postgraduate projects for the 2020-2021 academic year in an event held on-site at the Balmes Auditorium after two years in online format due to the pandemic. The third edition of the Student Project Awards recognised the final master's and postgraduate projects of up to 21 students in seven different categories and was attended by the Dean, Llorenç Bagur, and the Director General, José M. Martínez-Sierra.

"There is nothing more important for us than recognising and celebrating your work and your talent"
Director General of UPF-BSM

"There is nothing more important for us than to meet with you and your families to recognise and celebrate your work and your talent," said the Director General to the award-winning students. "It is an honour having you as part of the UPF-BSM family and as its ambassadors," he added.

21 awarded students

The ceremony, chaired by the Director of the Academic Area of Operations, Technology and Science, Ana Freire, and the Director of the Academic Area of Business & Management Strategy, Xavier Sobrepere, took place in the presence of the heads and members of the jury of the different categories, who presented the diplomas to the winners of the third, second and first prizes.

Rodrigo Cetina, Director of the Academic Area of Management, Law, Society and Humanities and Secretary General of the UPF-BSM, presented the awards in the category of Best Research Project on behalf of the Vice-Dean for Research, Jordi Perramon. The work awarded first prize for "being a project critical of established models" was "Testing fraud-detection tests. Validation of the Z-scores, the M-scores and the Sloan ratio, and development and validation of a New Model", by the Master in Accounting and Financial Management student Albert Vall García.

Cetina also presented the awards in the category of Best Knowledge Transfer Project, on behalf of Ramon Bastida, Vice-Dean for Knowledge Transfer. On this occasion, the first place went to the project by Lorena Rivera Ortega, a student on the Master in Health Economics and Pharmacoeconomics, "Receta electrónica CatSalut: una apuesta para minimizar el impacto del desabastecimiento de medicamentos". The jury valued her contribution to improving the management of the health system, as "the results obtained are clearly transferable to the professional sphere".

Albert Vall and Lorena Rivera are the winners in the categories of Best Research Project and Best Knowledge Transfer Project 

In the third category, Best Interdisciplinary Project, the school's Deputy Director General, Natàlia Pascual, presented the award to the student of the Master in Literary and Audiovisual Translation, Laia Callau Esteve, for her project "Traducció i anàlisi de Trainspotting EN-CA. El llenguatge col·loquial i les drogues". In the case of Callau, the jury highlighted "the great and extensive research work and its innovative nature".

Ana Freire, host of the event and expert in Artificial Intelligence, presented the awards for the Best Gender Projects, as head of the area. "All the works were of a high level and the selection was not easy," admitted Freire, who awarded Alexandra Puig Cantín, a Master of Science in Management student, with the first prize for her project "Women and Technology: opposite poles?

Best Interdisciplinary Project and Best Gender Project are those of Laia Callau and Alexandra Puig Cantín, respectively.

The Associate Provost for Strategic Projects at UPF-BSM, Marcos Eguiguren, was responsible for the Best Project in Ethics, Social Responsibility and Planetary Well-being category. The first prize went to the Master's student in Finance and Bankin, Jingjing Sun, for "Mercado actual de los bonos verdes en Europa y su impacto sobre las empresas", a project that "has tried to find evidence that the green label is not decisive in determining the performance of a bond", according to the jury.

Roberto Andrés Santander Ávalos, a student of the Master in Publishing 2020-2021, won the first prize in the category of Best Culture Project, awarded by the UPF Group's Head of Culture, Mathilde Brodu, thanks to his work "Urubú". The jury particularly valued it for "the excellent business model it represents and the appropriate and realistic proposal it puts forward".

Jingjing Sun, Roberto Andrés Santander and Talia Bonmatí, winners of the first prizes in the categories Best Ethics, Social Responsibility and Planetary Welfare Project, Best Culture Project and Best Company Initiative, respectively.

Last but not least, the Director of the Academic Area of Strategy and Entrepreneurship of the UPF-BSM, Susana Domingo, distinguished Talia Bonmatí, a student of the 20-21 edition of the Executive MBA, as the winner of the Best Company Initiative for her project "Dinbeat-Home devices". "Her project includes an ethical and animal welfare component, solving a clear problem, and stands out for the development of a product through technology," said the jury.

2021 Student Project Awards list of winners

Best Research Project

1. Albert García Vall, student of the Master in Accounting and Financial Management, Specialization in Corporate Finance
   "Testing fraud-detection tests. Validation of the Z-scores, the M-scores and the Sloan ratio, and development and validation of a New Model"
2. Israel Paredes Morales, student of the Master of Science in Management
   "Capital Expenditure. Effects of Firm Structure and Diversification Strategy"
3. Ignacio Manuel Talento Rodríguez, student of the Master of Science in Corporate Finance and Banking
   "The Impact of Inflation in Argentina's Financial Development"

Best Knowledge Transfer Project

1. Lorena Rivera Ortega, student of the Master in Health Economics and Pharmacoeconomics
   "Receta electrónica CatSalut: una apuesta para minimizar el impacto del desabastecimiento de medicamentos"
2. Elisenda Martínez Díez, student of the Master in Human Resources Management
   "MBC, S.L."
3. Marcos Acosta Voglino, Cristian Leonardo Bonino, Jhan Carlos Ardila Quintana and José Ignacio Medina Rodríguez, students of the Master in Corporate Financial and Accounting Management
   "Aspectos distintivos para el análisis y evaluación de inversiones en economías emergentes"

Best Interdisciplinary Project

1. Laia Callau Esteve, student of the Master in Literary and Audiovisual Translation
   "Traducció i anàlisi de Trainspotting EN-CA. El llenguatge col·loquial i el lèxic de les drogues"
2. Georgina Coloma Sánchez and Victoria Lavinia Marie Urban, students of the Master of Science in International Business
   "Internationalization Plan of Lala Berlin. A German-based prêt-à-porter fashion company expanding to France"
3. Hug Marí i Salvó, Sebastián-Humberto Navarro Duran and Jordi Echevarría Argemí, students of the Master in Corporate Financial and Accounting Management
   "Melià International Hotels"

Best Gender Project

1. Alexandra Puig Cantín, student of the Master of Science in Management
   "Women and Technology: opposite poles?"
2. Marina Yeves Andrés, Maria Fernández Martínez and Aleix Bertomeu Castaño, students of the Master in Creative Brand Strategy and Management
   "LIBALIS. Estrategia de marca, estrategia de comunicación y propuesta creativa"
3. Carmen Milena Villena, student of the Master in Political and Institutional Communication
   "La comunicación no sexista en el discurso político español"

Best Ethics, Social Responsibility and Planetary Well-Being Project

1. Jinjing Sun, student of the Master in Finance and Banking
   "Mercado actual de los bonos verdes en Europa y su impacto sobre las empresas"
2. Carla Maria Drury Salgado, student of the Master in Scientific, Medical and Environmental Communication
   "Science Communication and Malaria"
3. Chen Long, student of the Master in International Business
   "Potencial de desarrollo de los vehículos eléctricos puros en el mercado chino"

Best Culture Project

1. Roberto Andrés Santander Ávalos, student of the Master in Publishing
   "Urubú"
2. Valentina Angrill Seres, student of the Master in Publishing
   "Ulls com taronges"
3. Laia Angrill i Perelló, student of the Master in Publishing
   "Metamorfosi d'Edicions Salòria"

Best Company Initiative

1. Talia Bonmatí, student of the Executive MBA
   "Dinbeat-Home devices"
2. Borja Aguiló Triay and Álex Salas Castella, students of the Master in Sports Management
   "Hybrid"
3. Igor Emery Echegoyen, student of the Master Online in Sports Management
   "Be on!"