Search

Introduction: Currently, the specialized literature agreed on the need to democratize knowledge in techno-cognitive decision-making. In particular, some participation mechanisms are questionated because are considered mere exercises used to legitimize preexisting decisions. This accounts for the need to outline new tools to analyze the participatory dynamics in the generation of projects and technologies for local development. Objective: This paper aims to propose an analytical framework to map participatory dynamics, applied to the analysis of local development projects promoted by research institutions through the design and apply of a specific typology. Methodology: This qualitative research is based on two case studies, which involved indepth interviews with relevant actors, documentary analysis and fieldwork in key participatory action research. To carry out the analysis, we use a theoretical-methodological approach based on the sociology of constructivist technology, which proposes to inquire the way in which society and technology are co-constructed. Results: The analysis of two case studies alowed to identify two different trajectories of social participation. The first case initiate with aa broad participation experience, but derived a form of expert control. The second case began with expert control, but participation broadened and intensified throughout the process. Conclusions: Finally, the paper propose some reflections on how participatory dynamics work in the promotion of interactive learning processes and capacity building in technoscientific projects for local development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: transformational leadership creates a satisfactory and motivational work environment that drives the processes of change and innovation in an organization, which was also evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic; it was the health personnel who bravely faced and assumed this role and challenge. Objectives: to know the importance of transformational leadership in hospital management, to analyze the organization's response capacity according to the requirements of its hospital management and to diagnose the satisfaction of health personnel in their work area. Methods: systematic review of papers published between 2016 and 2021, the search was performed in articles with indexing in Scielo, Scopus, Science Direct, Latindex and others. Exclusion and inclusion criteria were applied. Conclusions: the analysis of the selected articles allowed finding different approaches and determining that leadership is of importance in management and decision making in a strategic way for hospital improvement both for the staff and for those who receive the care service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a study related to the learning of decision-making heuristics such as preference matrix, break-even point and decision tree from the perspective of using a computational tool. With their respective algorithms, a virtual learning environment through a mobile application (app) aimed at Engineering students was developed. To answer the research questions posed in this report, an empirical study was conducted to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and cost in solving decision-making problems with and without the use of the app. The results in this study suggest that the use of the app in learning decision-making skills facilitates the mathematical process for students, and that by using critical thinking competence, they can make assertive and accurate decisions considering different alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Chaco, one of the provinces with higher deforestation rate in Argentina, the trajectory of this indicator was not homogenous. Besides, the decision-making of provincial state had different paths to respond to this problem. Thus, this paper tries to answer what the causes that influence in the state fluctuations in the implementation of environmental policies are. Throughout a case study in which I compare four different moments between 2008 and 2019, I argue that the state fluctuations depend on the resolution of the conflict between two coalition (protectionist vs. productivist). State responds favorably to one or another when one of them deploys three strategies together: coordination, institutional and public pressure strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although in recent years the teaching of probability has been implemented in many countries from primary education onwards and extends throughout all educational levels, research reports frequent errors when applying probability in everyday contexts or in professional decision making. In this paper we begin by analysing the probabilistic literacy, as the basis of probabilistic reasoning that every citizen should have. Next, we analyse the essential characteristics and components of probabilistic reasoning and describe some common biases in probabilistic reasoning. We conclude with some suggestions for developing students' probabilistic reasoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the role of multilevel thematic partnerships method in building a specific policy, namely, the Urban Agenda for the European Union (EU) adopted in 2016. This method, designed as a pilot experiment, formalizes cooperation among different levels of government as well as public and private actors. The purpose of this paper is to examine the implementation of the multilevel governance approach and to determine the extent to which the thematic partnerships method contributes to the politicization of a decision-making process at the European level. For this purpose, the methodological design is based on network analysis applied to four case studies, namely, the following four thematic partnerships: Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees, Urban Poverty, Climate Action and Security in Public Spaces. Firstly, the results show a higher mobilization of stakeholders representing local interests; secondly, it is also shown that the monetization of the problem determines the nature of stakeholders (stakeholders representing social or economic interests) that join the policy networks. In sum, this article makes an empirical contribution to multilevel governance and politicization studies on the one hand, and to urban and European studies on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public issues regarding water are defined based on aspects of ownership and institutional responsibility, which has repercussions on their ability to implement effective actions for water resource management. The objective of this paper is to analyze government actions regarding urban water management and explain how they influence its institutional capacity. The methodology employed involved the use of institutional ethnography, which revealed the interactions between water resource management agencies and the priority action plans of governments. The findings recognize that the lack of institutional capacity is influenced by the particular interests of decision-makers who limit the political continuity of previous administrations. It is concluded that each administration addresses public issues according to their own interests, which may not always align with the needs and priorities of society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a systematic review of the scientific literature on participatory monitoring (PM) in Mexico in order to understand its dimensions and usefulness for decision-making and public environmental policies. For this, a conceptual scheme of the mp is proposed from the socioecosystemic perspective (SEPM) in accordance with interdisciplinary scientific approaches and citizen science, through eight structural dimensions. The qualitative method of analysis was based on the application of the Search, Assessment, Synthesis, Analysis (SALSA) protocol, and the use of Scopus and scielo databases. The results first describe general spatial and temporal trends for Latin America and, subsequently, focus on the analysis of 24 preselected and coded publications for Mexico, considering monitoring criteria related to eight structural dimensions of the conceptual scheme. It is observed that the SEPM in Mexico has increased since the year 2000, the scale has been local, the land tenure dominant of social property, the regional scope, and has been more applied to the forest, water and agroforestry socio-ecosystems. The sepm has great potential for decisionmaking at different organizational levels, especially when it is implemented in an integrated manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inventory routing problem is an important issue within logistics and supply chain management, and as such has been addressed by the scientific literature. Likewise, decision support systems have received much attention from academic researchers due to their usefulness in numerous disciplines. This paper proposes a review of the academic literature on vehicle routing with inventory and decision support systems. For this, bibliometric analysis is used in publications on these two topics from the Sciencedirect and Scielo databases, between the years 1997 and 2020. The temporal trends, different classifications, authors and most relevant related topics and the link between these topics are analyzed. The main findings are the growing trend in the study of both topics, the absence of authors and central themes linked to them, as well as the scarce interrelation in their study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to competitive markets, the software business wants faster, better, and cheaper solutions in a short amount of time. Software reuse emerges as a viable solution to these demands since it offers significant benefits, such as increased quality and efficiency and lower development costs and effort, as well as shorter commercialization times. This research aims to study and understand the state of the practice of software reuse in Colombia, to make comparisons with related works, and to offer an instrument for decision-making in companies that adopt these practices. To reach these objectives, three stages were proposed. In the first stage, the research questions were defined. In the second stage, a survey was developed, evaluated, and carried out to validate successful practices and adoption barriers in the context of the Colombian software industry. Finally, the results were analyzed and reported. This paper showed and evidenced the expectations, adoption barriers, and factors influencing the success of software reuse in Colombian industrial environments. In the same way, the experience from the development of this work serves as a roadmap for other regions that want to analyze the current state of reuse. Nevertheless, each organization needs to determine its capabilities and find the appropriate factors to be adopted to its context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, new models for credit risk prediction in Colombia are proposed by using different artificial intelligence techniques. These models can be used to support the risk management area in banks, and they aim to identify clients that could be in default, generating a possible credit risk for financial institutions. Three techniques are used to obtain the models (neuronal networks, decision trees, and support vector machines) that predict the next payment of a client's fee based on basic data from the client and previous recorded installment payments. Decision trees turns out to be more accurate than the other techniques that have been used when predicting credit risk with a ROC area of 88.29%. The proposed models reach accuracies that are like some other papers in the state of the art and in some cases, they overcome models in other studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents application results of soft computing techniques in project's evaluation. The authors analyze different project management's guides regarding decision making techniques inside its. In this paper the authors combine traditional techniques for project's evaluation with soft computing techniques. The authors propose an algorithm that combine the following techniques: traditional indicators from project management guides, fuzzy inference systems, machine learning algorithms and linguistic data summarization methods. In section number 3, the paper presents the comparisons of algorithms Anfis, Hyfis, FS.HGD, based on neural networks with algorithms GFS LS RS, GFS THRIFT based on evolutionary algorithms. In experiments, we applied cross validation techniques combined with Friendman test and Wilcoxon test Afterwards, the authors present an algorithm that build linguistic summaries to detect causes of project management failures. Finally, we present a comparison of the results and the conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than twenty years, Latin American countries have faced the challenge of generating policies that support the universalization and democratization objectives of the secondary school level, guaranteeing the access, permanence and graduation of young people. Within this context, in Argentina, several regulations and actions focused on secondary school and young people of school age have been developed in recent years, including some aimed at revising the curriculum mesh. This paper presents some advances in two research projects in development. One of them analyses the construction process of the Curriculum Design for Secondary Education in the Province of Buenos Aires (2005-2010), and the other studies the creation of secondary education offers in disadvantaged areas within the framework of a project promoted by the Ministry of National Education between 2014 and 2015. The paper aims to provide a theoretical framework for the understanding of the decisionmaking processes in curriculum policy and to present some key questions about the way in which the characteristics of these processes could put a strain on the meaning of the curriculum changes that are intended to be implemented, at the level of educational systems and at the level of institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study refers to the digital era and the skill-based learning in university students in Peru. Its goal is to analyze the use of digital tools in the 91 universities of the country by applying an online survey to 20,000 students randomly selected to know the implementation of virtual classrooms and skill-based learning in their universities. This is a very transcendental subject in the current times due to the Information Technology and Communication has become in tools of every day in practically every modern society en the world. Therefore, this fact cannot stay ignored in higher education, mainly in the pandemic context, where it is essential to utilize these tools, including e-learning. A special case is the skill-based learning; because of carrying it out in online manner constitutes a challenge. The authors of this paper do not conform themselves to perform a quantitative study on this subject in Peru, also they propose to carry out a qualitative analysis using the interviewees' opinions in a linguistic scale with terms "Good", "Regular", "Bad", and "I don't know". To perform calculus we applied the 2-tuples model, where linguistic data are aggregated without loss of information. This method allows us to obtain a global result in function of the linguistic scale, which will provide of an easily comprehensible final value to those involved in this study. To the best of the authors' knowledge this is the first time that a study of this kind is carried out in the Peruvian university education by using the 2-tuples method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainstream economic theory is replete with assumptions that feed into structural or systemic racism. It supports an economic system that severely disadvantages people at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum, which in the U.S. includes a disproportionate number of Hispanics, indigenous people, and descendants of slaves ((would Afro-Americans be more appropriate?)). The paper discusses 15 such assumptions that are generally trivialized, including the crucial role information costs play in decision making. In turn, costly information implies that its acquisition by poor people requires a greater share of their income, making it more difficult for them to make well-informed decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigated the causes that lead university students to abandon their careers as well as the reasons that would drive their return. With the application of the Net Promoter Score (NPS) metric, it was found that 301 (69.95 %) of the 551 students who left the institution did not return. The economic factor (56.8 %), the academic organization (20 %) and health (13.6 %) were identified as the main causes of student dropout. Students would be willing to return if better technological platforms were implemented (27.2 %), if tuition and enrollment costs were reduced (31.8 %), and if a job bank were made available (27.3 %). Promoter (23.6 %), passive (34.9 %) and detractor (41.5 %) students were identified; the promoters are those who are willing to recommend the educational institution and at the other extreme are the detractors who are capable of harming the image of the institution. In conclusion, the intention to return to their studies depends on the type of student. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: to find out the evolution of the students perception of academic stressors during the development of the physiotherapy degree course. Material and method: a longitudinal descriptive study was carried out. The data was obtained using the questionnaire in paper format, by means of the Academic Stressor Subscale (E-CEA) included in the Academic Stress Questionnaire. The repeated measures statistical procedure Anova MR was used to compare means between courses. Results: the study sample consisted of 264 students enrolled in the Faculty of Physiotherapy of the University of Vigo between the academic years 2009-10 and 2014-15, resulting in a participation rate of 66.33%. The results determined that between the first and second year, the perception of academic stressors remained stable, except for the factors Interventions in public, which decreased and Poor social relations in the academic context together with Lack of value of the contents, which increased. Between the second and third years, most of the stressors decreased, except for Exams, Lack of value of content and Poor social relations, which remained stable. Finally, between third and fourth year, all stressors decreased, except Impossibility of participation in academic decisions, which remained unchanged. Conclusion: it can be said that the perception of academic stressors varies between academic years, highlighting that the general rule is that academic stressors lose effect as students progress through the degree course, especially in the third and especially in the fourth year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify the critical success factors in the design and implementation of blended learning programs in Spanish schools reconciling the right to education and health security in times of pandemic. It begins by tracing a semblance of some of the most significant aspects that describe the educational reality in Spanish centers to describe the different factors that arise to resume educational activity in the short term. Once the context is described, the main characteristics of blended learning are synthesized, emphasizing the different possible models, reviewing specialized literature that shows empirical evidence on experiences and implementations in other countries. Finally, with this information, factors that can help make decisions in the implementation of these programs are identified, distinguished the ones of transversal nature, and others specific to choose from. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recurrent assumption in psycholinguistics is that certain universal principles of computational economy guide the structural decisions made during sentence processing. The first study conducted in Spanish on attachment decisions (Cuetos & Mitchell, 1988) questioned the existence of such principles by presenting evidence that Spanish speakers prefer to use an early closure or high attachment strategy to solve the interpretation of sentences with relative clauses with two potential antecedents. Since then, several studies have been conducted that provide contradictory evidence. In this paper, we present a comprehensive and critical review of the research on Spanish, examining the various methodologies used and the influence of different factors on syntactic processing. The implications of these findings for models of sentence processing are also discussed, and the possibility of considering universal principles is debated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the natural distribution pattern of modern bone remains in different parts of the Moat Bay coastal area is analyzed. The purpose of this analysis is to assess the areas with a higher probability of bone remains accumulation and dispersion, and to generate expectations about the integrity of archaeological sites. Additionally, the natural modifications that occur on the cortical surface of bones are evaluated. Results show that intertidal zone dynamics has a dissimilar effect in bone assemblage formation, and that these processes have different impact level depending on location and coastal landform type. Furthermore, different taphonomic trajectories for birds and mammals were identified. Results allow predicting the integrity level of the sites located in the environmental contexts under study and provide valuable decision-making tools for archaeological projects in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a great deal of criticism of the low relationship between the research processes and the business context in faculties, the management programs, and the poorly positioned business schools. This paper aims at determining relevant topics in administrative sciences by applying the analysis of networks to identify the institutions that handle recurrent topics, those that address specialized topics, and the territories that include research in the administrative field. The study identified the best worldwide and nationwide faculties, management programs, and business schools; and from this selection, we built a relational model of the interactions between institutions and topics by using the network theory. This type of analysis was implemented since it allows a systematic review, and the results become inputs that contribute to subsequent decision making by institutions involved in this field. Among the results, we identified the Columbia Business School, INSEAD Business School, Cornell Business College, Harvard Business School and, finally, the SLOAN School of Management of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as notable institutional nodes. Finally, the relevant thematic nodes were identified: those that are related to finance, entrepreneurship, globalization, and leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a mainly ethnographic methodology, this paper discusses why the voice of women and their agency is still scarce in the history of India and especially in Sikh history. It then describes the 1984 Delhi pogroms as voiced by these women. The text analyzes the complex ways in which widows open spaces for decision making, advocacy, activism, and organization. Violence destroyed the world as they knew it, but it opened up other possibilities, such as the ability to move from the private to the public sphere, work for the first time, and decide on their marital status. They also formed leaderships and consolidated a political movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Via the analysis of the decisions of the Colombian Constitutional Court in a period of 27 years, this paper addresses the question of the place of the emerging right to die with dignity in the Colombian constitutional context. To do this, it analyzes its consolidation as a full-fledge constitutional right, presents the contours of its core and the relations and tensions with other constitutional rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The announcement of the start of the summer tourist season in Spain, in the middle of the SARS CoV-2 pandemic, although it is an encouraging new, brought with it a number of uncertainties linked to guaranteeing the exercise of the activity in conditions of health safety. In this paper, an initial approximation to Andalusian Atlantic beaches carrying capacity to absorb the recreational and tourist demand has been carried out. For this purpose, the useful beach area is calculated, using the latest available aerial orthophotography (2016) and the analytical functionalities of the Geographical Information Systems. Three occupation scenarios are built according to the useful beach area per user and the establishment of one or two visiting shifts. The results show how scenario 1 could accommodate all of the potential users in a single shift. Scenario 2 could only accommodate all users by establishing a double shift and in scenario 3, neither the establishment of a double shift could accommodate residents. Although the results must be completed with analysis at more fine scales, they are a necessary first approximation that can be useful for decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies educational data mining algorithms to present an analysis of the most relevant characteristics of potential dropout students. The study used a dataset of 10,635 instances, acquired between 2014 and 2019 from 53 bachelor's degree programs at a private university in the state of Puebla (Mexico). The results show that the model obtained from the decision trees performs better than other algorithms and allows for easy interpretation through decision rules. Furthermore, the model performs better than other related models in the literature that have been applied to the same problem. The methods used to select characteristics yielded the most important attributes to identify potential dropouts, such as the period, last semester completed, credits completed, attendance, courses failed, and program. These attributes and decision rules can be used to create mechanisms that help prevent dropout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental risk management provides a preventive vision for socio-economic development in face of a changing climate. In this paper a technology for risk management at strategic and operational levels is proposed as essential support for decision-making to events of natural origin such as drought. The system dynamic simulation was carried out from the theoretical modeling of process; in addition, intelligent data mining techniques were used in the design of custom software. A technology that consists of a conceptual model, a continuous improvement procedure on environmentally sustainable bases and SIDecision computer platform, which centralizes management. Interpretations of statistical parameters demonstrate the quality achieved in decision-making regarding risk management for a case study in Cuban territory, after the technology has been implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of consumer preferences and their decision process has been one of the most active areas of research in the last decade. The high failure rate of products of frequent consumption, as well as the increasing heterogeneity of demand, have led both academics and practitioners to search for models and techniques that are able to understand the complexity of markets and to unveil consumers' purchase intentions. This paper proposes the combination of "best-worst scaling" with latent class analysis. The former makes it possible to extract the value or "utility" that a given purchase alternative has for the consumer, while the latter uses this information to detect groups of consumers efficiently. To illustrate the procedure, it has been applied to a sample of 575 individuals in the soft drinks market, which reveals the usefulness and efficiency of this type of segmentation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the fundamental purposes of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) information is to serve as an input for decision-making in order to promote more effective and efficient public policies. However, empirical evidence shows that this kind of information is mostly used for other purposes than this mentioned above. To analyze this behavior, this paper develops a basic model using the tools offered by game theory. This exercise make possible to find that the relationship between supply and demand for M&E information behaves like a typical problem of prisoner's dilemma with high stability. This paper also shows the importance of analyzing this relationship in a comprehensive and not fragmented way. Finally, specific recommendations are suggested to break the strong stability that displays this type of game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methodologically, the authors and their colleagues' employ their proposed model of strategic decisionmaking in groups of companies, which allows one to integrate several critical managerial functions, set clear efficiency criteria for future decisions considering the static and dynamic state of a subsidiary and forecast the development of a group of companies with a view of long-term stable growth of its overall consolidated value and goodwill. This paper offers a systematisation and logical interpretation of indicators transforming the previously published theoretical model as a practical tool approbated on initial empirical evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Milk has a high nutritional value and is one of the most widely consumed foods in the world. Its production has a positive impact on the economic development of society and contributes to the food security of the nations. Forecasting future production of this food contributes to improving the efficiency of its production chain and facilitates decision-making in dairy industry organizations. However, cattle milk production is influenced by several factors that complicate and hinder its prediction. In this paper, a systematic review of the literature related to the development and application of models to predict bovine milk production was carried out. The academic databases Google Scholar, Scielo and ScienceDirect were used to search for information. The analysis carried out allowed the identification of different significant elements about these models that contribute to determine their application in specific situations or environments. Some of these elements are the input variables used, the methods to calculate the forecast error and the main strengths and weaknesses of the identified models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a configurable and computable instructional model based on gamification elements. The empirical evaluation of the model is also reported using the software engineering area as the scope of application. In the experimental study two treatments were compared: the traditional dynamics of using a paper document for the Performance Test, and the use of a Virtual Learning Environment configured based in the model; the dependent variables considered were time and score. From the statistical analysis it was possible to conclude that the students did not present significant differences in the scores obtained in both treatments; however, the time turned out to be a variable with significant differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding citizen participation as an act in which the community is taking part in the decision-making process of a territory, sharing its role in it with other individuals, is licit to mention its importance in the destination management, no matter the degree of maturity the territory has. This participation is an essential factor in the social dimension of a Smart Destination, a territory composed of three more dimensions besides the social one: economic, governance, and mobility; growing up from sustainability and technology pillars, as the main axes of the smart model applied to the territory. This paper aims to explore the local community role in the decision-making process of a tourist territory, focusing on the study of the El Raval neighborhood, of the Barcelona city, as an example of urban territory with a high concentration of tourist hot spots, and thereby, with a large volume of tourist inflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 caused a worldwide paralysis. An asynchronous study among executive officers was developed, using the qualitative Delphi method, during the confinement stage, by a couple of companies, one from Colombia, another from Spain. Participants were human resources and marketing managers (some of them working in both areas) of large companies, SMEs, non-profit organizations, and professional unions, located in both countries. A forecast of expected changes in interpersonal relationships was the main objective of the study; however, as participants broadened the debate, topics related to administrative functions emerged. This paper focuses in the latter. Administrative planning was the most affected function by the pandemic. Organizational arranges like telecommuting became more common, their interaction and control difficulties raise concerns among directors. Strengthening trust and communication bonds is important. Decision making process was faster during the quarantine period, it is a lesson learned by the participants. Increased empathy to the personal necessities and functionality prevalence in the performance of administrative tasks are both in the future expected by participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of project management as international discipline was encouraged by the increasing of projects complexity all over the world. Despite of the effort made by the principal standards of project management, the number of failed and renegotiated projects still very high. Decision making process is one of the root causes of projects failure. During project development, decisions are made according to the evaluations performed in projects cut. In each cut, experts make, sequentially, diagnosis, decision, and prediction processes. This paper aims at creating a new model that integrate the diagnosis, decision, and prediction processes in one platform for decision making during projects development. The new model is based on Neutrosophic Cognitive Maps (NCMs) with a triangular neutrosophic number in map's connections. The suggested model deals efficiently with the uncertainty and vagueness, since it considers the truth, indeterminacy, and falsity degrees. Finally, the proposed model has been compared, in terms of efficacy, with a traditional FCM-based model for decision making in projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internal control is a kind of audit, which contributes to improve enterprise situation on their more fundamental aspects. This paper aims to determine if EPMAPA-T, the municipal public enterprise of potable water and sewer system, in Tulcán, Ecuador, has overcame the deficiencies indicated in an internal control carried out during a previous period. For this end, the so-called Neutrosophic AHP technique was used. This is a variation of the crisp AHP designed by Saaty, so that when the neutrosophic sets are incorporated, then, it is taking into account the uncertainty proper of decision making, as well as the computing with linguistic terms and the inclusion of an indeterminate element. This technique shall be applied to choose between two alternatives, either the enterprise improved its performance or not, specifically in the financial area. This is not a simple task; it needs for a mathematical tool of this kind for the many aspects that must be assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The currently dominant model of scientific production in the field of communications research exhibits an over standardization of mainly empirical research, which is overwhelmingly carried out using quantitative techniques based on simple statistical analysis, in many cases limiting the presented results to an interpretation of the available data. This paper presents an innovative proposal in the field, designed as a new strategy for scientific dissemination and presentation. It puts forward the objective of building three composite indicators that, applied to European public service media, will allow the assessment of the perception of their social value, independence, and management efficiency. Moreover, a study that enables a comparative vision of these three issues in all the countries of the European Union, excluding Malta and Luxemburg, is also proposed. This methodology represents an innovation because it thoroughly explains the process and justifies the validity of the documentary sources used to facilitate their reproduction or questioning. It also reinforces the discussion of the results with the evaluation of the indicators' robustness before deciding which of them is most appropriate on each occasion for comparing the results using a multicriteria decision analysis technique, the Technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (Topis) method, proposed by Hwang and Yoon (1981). The results attest that synthetic indicators are an innovative, original, and validatable methodological tool that can contribute to the progress of research in the field of the communications sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the high popularity that collective investment funds (cifs) have been gaining and their growing participation in the financial market, both in terms of the amount of investments and the number of investors, it is necessary to have tools that allow for adequate and timely identification of risks, in order to prevent an effect on the stability of the financial system. However, there is a lack of literature on early warnings for these funds, since most of the papers are focused on the banking sector. This document aims to develop an early warning indicator that allows the identification of cif vulnerabilities, with enough time of anticipation for policymakers to implement measures for their containment. In order to achieve this objective, a widely known early warning measure in the banking sector, such as the European Central Bank's Domestic Systemic Risk Indicator (d-SRI), will be adapted to the cif scenario in Colombia. The results obtained show that in the event of a shock of one standard deviation in the cif early warning indicator (iate fic), a drop of 1.4 percentage points in the quarterly growth of the fund's net value (fnv) is expected in the six months following the occurrence of the shock. The findings showed in this work represent an important advance in the detection of vulnerabilities of investment funds and can be of great help to policymakers in making decisions under scenarios of uncertainty in the future behavior of the cif industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of project management as international discipline was encouraged by the increasing of projects complexity all over the world. Despite of the effort made by the principal standards of project management, the number of failed and renegotiated projects still very high. Decision making process is one of the root causes of projects failure. During project development, decisions are made according to the evaluations performed in projects cut. In each cut, experts make, sequentially, diagnosis, decision, and prediction processes. This paper aims at creating a new model that integrate the diagnosis, decision, and prediction processes in one platform for decision making during projects development. The new model is based on Neutrosophic Cognitive Maps (NCMs) with a triangular neutrosophic number in map's connections. The suggested model deals efficiently with the uncertainty and vagueness, since it considers the truth, indeterminacy, and falsity degrees. Finally, the proposed model has been compared, in terms of efficacy, with a traditional FCM-based model for decision making in projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internal control is a kind of audit, which contributes to improve enterprise situation on their more fundamental aspects. This paper aims to determine if EPMAPA-T, the municipal public enterprise of potable water and sewer system, in Tulcán, Ecuador, has overcame the deficiencies indicated in an internal control carried out during a previous period. For this end, the so-called Neutrosophic AHP technique was used. This is a variation of the crisp AHP designed by Saaty, so that when the neutrosophic sets are incorporated, then, it is taking into account the uncertainty proper of decision making, as well as the computing with linguistic terms and the inclusion of an indeterminate element. This technique shall be applied to choose between two alternatives, either the enterprise improved its performance or not, specifically in the financial area. This is not a simple task; it needs for a mathematical tool of this kind for the many aspects that must be assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Altepetl, in Nahuatl, was the concept that signified the relationship between indigenous communities and their vital environment. This paper proposes a model that incorporates the features of this key concept, in order to understand not only the history of the Mesoamerican towns but their geography at a local scale. Altepetl refers both to the people and to their sovereign territory including the natural resources within it. The Spaniards negotiated with the people of the altepetl they encountered and many traditional practices continued and can still be seen in various forms today. This model takes into account the evolution of the concept through a Longue durée history doing both field work and ethnohistorical analysis and proposes the use of the concept of landscape in order to make the altepetl more comprehensible and applicable for decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective/context: This paper examines the contribution that an approach from Global Studies (GS) can make to obtain a broader and more comprehensive view of Latin American foreign policy (FP) by incorporating the global level to the international, regional and national levels traditionally observed, and question traditional distinctions, limited to explain behavior and decision making in peripheral states. It proposes the construction of a model analysis for the interpretation of the FP of peripheral countries. Methodology: The research is qualitative, with a critical reading of the existing approaches in FP and GS. It uses a documentary method, with the purpose of deepening existing theories to derive new knowledge. It is a theoretical work that, based on an analytical, inductive methodology and an epistemological discussion, seeks to build a method of analysis for Latin American FP incorporating the contributions of the GS. Conclusions: Explores FP studies and the emerging challenges in the face of global problems and processes that demand new methods of approach. It develops an interdisciplinary methodological strategy for a global approach to FP and international insertion in Latin America from the consideration of multilevel spaces. Originality: The originality of the work lies in the challenge of contributing to the scarce methodological approaches for the study of FP, raising the approach of multilevel spaces, transcending the state sphere, and especially, thinking of a model to be applied to the realities of Latin American countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contestatory democracy entails a model for citizen participation that carries limited political potential to guarantee and promote non-domination as a communal value. This paper argues that the actual problem does not lie in institutional design but in the tensions between this model of democracy and the notion of freedom attempting to normatively guide such notion. Freedom as non-domination is a type of negative freedom. As such, it is indifferent to the subject's goals, it does not allow for justifying motivations beyond individual's interest. Due to this, disputation turns out to be a control mechanism that fails to achieve its main goal in public sphere decision-making: defending freedom in a republican sense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the results of the study of the intellectual competences of the Agricultural Mechanical Engineering students of the Autonomous University of Chapingo. The instrument used was the Multiorienta software and was applied to a sample of 244 students in grades 4, 5 and 6. The results show the general averages of the following indicators: perception = 5.5, analysis = 6.8, synthesis = 6.3, abstract reasoning = 5.2, learning = 5.9, memory = 4.1, creativity = 5.0, planning and decision making = 5.2, intellectual speed = 5.1, among others. These results are of great help for the development of the academic tutoring program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main characteristic of Sarlo's reading of Saer is a peculiar type of formalism. Her reading impulse lies in this articulation: the focus on the artistic technique (poetic, narrative), considered semantically functional, recoverable, and subject to a decision-making process; the relationship between that poetic of the form and an intertextual program whose center is Borges, with Saer's corresponding place in the history of Argentinian literary history, and, as a consequence of the unifying force of that formal and intertextual approach, a judgement about the highest value of Saer's work arises, which Sarlo describes as "perfect." At the same time, our paper develops approximations to a potential blind spot in that reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk management plays an essential at the organizational level; its integrated management contributes to the process approach, to the best use of resources, minimizes costs, and it evidences a culture focused on the establishment of internal control. The paper depicts a risk management procedure builton the literature review and the application of cluster analysis to determine the stages and variables commonly used in precedent works, all that enriched with practical experience and approaches of specialists. It was obtained a risk management procedure, articulated to the legal framework, supported in a computer tool that promotes effective management and offers relevant information for decision making, as well as a questionnaire to evaluate the amount of risk management applied at the company. The usefulness and usability degree for users was measured using Iadov's Method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Intergovernmental Relations are a constitutive factor of the majority of the public policies, also in case of the politics of the transport, and his analysis has allowed to integrate the institutional and territorial pluralism in the study of the processes of decision and implementation of public policies, in order to analyze the paper of the different actors and of his existing mechanisms of interaction and joint. The aim of this article is to analyze the reasons that influenced the creation of the Public Entity of the Transport and to evaluate his functioning to know the reasons that explain his disappearance paying particular attention to the influence of the Intergovernmental Relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the relationship between the characteristics assumed by the public administration and changes in the democratic model from 1958 until the second millennium in Venezuela. Methodologically, four stages are distinguished from the characteristics assumed by democracy. 1. Democracy of the big parties and the model of import substitution, political representation and administrative centralization (1961); 2. Formally participatory and administratively decentralized democracy 1990), 3; people's and populist democracy with military base and administrative recentralization (1999); 4). Competitive authoritarianism. It is concluded that there is a significantly political relationship between the model of democracy and the models of public administration assumed in the model of the Venezuelan democratic regime, there are authoritarian changes from the periphery to the center as the institutional model went into crisis until its political breakin in 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]