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The objective of this article is to analyze the distinctive characteristics of research production in the field of communication in Latin American scientific communication journals. Meta-research is necessary because it allows re-evaluating the field and offers new horizons in knowledge production. Two studies were conducted: 1) Bibliometric analysis of 116 journals in eight databases and 24 publications in the Web of Science and Scopus; 2) Content analysis including that of 407 articles over a period of 10 years (2009--2018). The findings demonstrate a research trend in the Latin American region toward international standards, evidenced by a preponderance of empirical over essay studies. Universities in the region published most of the journals in the field and circulation was predominantly biannual. Contrary to expectations, the most widely disseminated topic was health communication, partly owing to a large sample of Brazilian journals. Within the empirical research, the qualitative approach was predominant. The interview was the most widely used research method in the region. Finally, the most used theories were agenda setting and framing. Imminent challenges arise, i.e., to strengthen indigenous theoretical production and to position the region's themes and reflection more decisively in knowledge production at a global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we propose a reflection on the theoretical and empirical relevance of approaching the study of historical linguistic change study considering marginalia, that is, phenomena that are typologically unexceptional, but which have been ignored in linguistic research. The objective is to draw attention to the tunnel vision that linguistic theories usually entail for those who work within them, since the paradigms themselves and the study methods that are developed within such theories lead to ignoring certain linguistic phenomena relevant to the study of languages which are relegated to the margins of linguistic description. In order to prove the relevance of these marginalia, we will point out the importance they have had for the advancement of linguistic theories in the last two hundred years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a theoretical paper in the field of democratic theory. It reviews the discussions on one of the elements proposed to measure the quality of democracies: government responsiveness to citizens' preferences. It analyses theoretical discussions on democracy, quality of democracy and in particular the debate on whether responsiveness is useful to measure quality, what challenges it implies and what are its conceptual and empirical limits. It concludes with a research agenda on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inequality is a problem that requires urgent responses. In the quest for solutions, researchers employ various indicators of inequality and different dimensions of e-Government (EG). Objective. Review empirical research that analyzed the contribution of income, socio-economic level (SES) and social status (SS) on the use, intention to use and adoption of EG. Method. We conducted a narrative review, selecting publications from 2015 to 2020. We described the inequality indicators and their measurement, the dependent variables used and the results obtained. Results/Conclusions. Income was measured in 70% of the studies as an ordinal variable; we observed a predominance of the economic dimension as an indicator of inequality. SES was reported in 30% of the studies using different measurement forms, and in no studies was SS measured. Dependent variables use, intention to use and adoption were employed as synonyms, ignoring post-adoption and appropriation of EG. The results found in the papers reviewed were inconsistent; inequality indicators were sometimes statistically significant, sometimes not. A possible explanation is the methodological difficulty in approaching the complexity of inequality, often measured unidimensional and quantitatively. A challenge is to combine theoretical and methodological approaches that consider inequality multidimensional and culturally anchored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Urban mobility is one of the most relevant social phenomena from the last few decades, mainly after the automobile has become the focal axis for city planning, which has caused important transformations in urbanity on a global scale. Objective The objective of this work is to perform a close revision of some particularities for the study of the social implications found in the creation of infrastructure for the urban mobility. It pretends to show some of the characteristics in which western cities have been planned in the modern era, and how this logic has promoted particular models of mass transportation and the triumph of the automobile. In addition, we address the impact that the city planning has had over non-motorized mobility, as well as the problems and opportunities that appear when mobility-designed infrastructure fails or becomes obsolete. Method The paper is a conceptual and theoretical approximation to the mobility phenomenon, and it intends to help position future empirical researches from the perspective of social sciences. Results As the main finding we have how sensitive it is to plan large-scale urban projects without taking in consideration the differentiated impacts they might have in the societies in which these projects are executed. Conclusion In the conclusions section the paper invites to think from an interdisciplinary and participatory focus the way in which mobility infrastructures are designed for the Costar Rican case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents one of the most important and updated problems of the English teaching-learning process: to improve written expression in English. To do so, some empirical methods were implemented and they revealed, as a result, the weaknesses that persist in most school institutions regarding the development of this practice. Thus, the research offers a proposal of some learning tasks to improve the students' writing abilities. Some methodological considerations and requirements are also included to structure the proposal, as well as certain didactic reflections for the English written expression development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation activities at any level of the economy must be systemically articulated and integrated, so that they generate the necessary synergies between the different actors, to promote development and achieve higher levels of income, benefit and diversification of productions. Thus, the Cuban forestry sector is of vital importance for the socioeconomic development of the country, both for the social and environmental contribution made by forests and for their contribution to satisfying the demands of strategic sectors in terms of products and services; however, the inadequate functioning of the innovation process, among other causes, does not allow it to meet these demands. This paper aims to propose the components of the system for innovation management in the forestry sector in Cuba. Theoretical and empirical methods were used, such as analysis and synthesis, inductivedeductive, content analysis, interview, survey and analysis of the network of actors, supported by the UNICET and NETDRAW 6,645 software. This allowed identifying the main strengths and weaknesses of the innovation process in the sector and proposing the components that should structure its innovation system. All the above contributes to the improvement of the sector's innovation process and serves as a benchmark for the design and implementation of policies and strategies, regarding its innovative performance and its contribution to the country's socioeconomic development with a view to the year 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active learning comprises any process in which students are actively engaged in building understanding of facts, ideas, and skills through instructor-directed tasks and activities undertaken mainly during classes. In this paper we presented results from a comparison of two active learning strategies to teach the agile Scrum framework in the context of an introductory software engineering course. The comparison was carried out through a quasi-experiment in which participants were divided into two groups. The first group used the strategy of active reading on basic concepts of Scrum, while for the other group a game was used; representing two teaching strategies for active learning. The results gave indications at the population level that there are significant differences in the concepts learned by the members of both groups and ratifies the use of active learning strategies to teach Scrum. The results provided empirical evidence indicating that using various active learning strategies facilitates the retention and appropriation of concepts related to Scrum and offer teachers a point of reference about the effectiveness of these two strategies of active learning to teach Scrum concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Global Capability Framework for Public Relations and Communication Management (Fawkes et at., 2018) is the first international proposal that applies the capability concept to the discipline in order to describe the scope and future potential of a global profession. A global framework with 11 capabilities is the result of an empirical research (Delphi, survey, interviews and focus groups) with more than 1.400 experts, scholars and practitioners, in nine countries of five continents (Argentina, Australia, Canada, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, UK and USA). Also, each country has its own capability framework. In this paper it is presented for the first time the specific frameworks, and its comparison, from Argentina and Spain, the only participants' hispanic countries. As a general conclusion, the findings reveal a strong strategic and social orientation of the profession, but there are significant differences that may be explained by different regional contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of scientific information occupies a relevant place in the economy and society of countries worldwide, being a necessity the implementation of strategies for their management in educational institutions based on learning, underpinned by technological development where the feasibility for obtaining reliable information, its manipulation and dissemination are of vital importance. This accelerated growth in the volume of information forces the educational community to recognize the need to create management systems that facilitate the management of scientific information. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the development achieved in the management of scientific information at the Agrarian University of Havana. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out; empirical methods such as observation, survey and interview were applied to identify existing strengths and weaknesses that served as the basis for conceiving the actions necessary for the achievement of the proposed objective. 8 action lines were determined that guided the work to be developed. As relevant results, the systematic evaluation of each of the actions of the strategy was obtained, as well as the records made during the observation of its implementation, concluding with validity of the implementation and the need to profile the inadequacies that still persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An activity of vital importance in software testing is the design and creation of effective test cases associated with adequate generation of test values, because empirical tests can't guarantee detection of all errors and the exhaustive testing is very costly in time and effort. Therefore, the strategy is try to make the tests the most inclusive possible to consider a subset of possible cases and test values most likely to detect errors. In this context, the need arises for using test case design techniques for the automatic generation of test cases, which ensure high levels of error coverage. This paper presents a component that generates automatically, values for unit testing, using design techniques Loops and Conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper intends to make a methodological contribution. Departing from the definition of habitus as schemes of thought, perception, evaluation and action, I put forward a modified version of the Greimas' actantial schemes for the analysis of narrative, as a methodological tool to Construct And Make Visible The Habitus In Empirical Research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper has the purpose of determining the rating scales of the generic and specific competences for directives and workers linked to the tourist activity in a town, which allow them to act in consonance with the aspired sustainability pattern. For this reason, the expert's method was used, which meant in an empirical way a considerable contribution in determining the mentioned competences. Finally, the reliability and validity of the rating scales were statistically tested in a sample of 97 executives and 154 employees from 25 organizations linked to the tourist activity in Viñales town, Pinar del Río province. For the analysis of the reliability, the Alpha of Cronbach Coefficient was used, proving that the data are mutually consistent, and for the analysis of the validity the Factorial Analysis was used, by this means it was inferring that the scales represent precisely the aspects to be measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses one of the most important topics related with preschool education. It refers to competencies, skills and knowledge that children must develop to start their academic background in primary education, particularly with as regards formal literacy issues. In fact, that refers to Early Literacy and the way that preschool can boost this kind of literacy. In the present paper the basic conceptual aspects of the formal literacy and early literacy are discussed, explaining their importance to the psychological and academic development. In a second section, the emphasis is on activities that can promote the development of initial literacy skills in children, and how parents and preschool teachers can carry out a series of activities literacy. The third section presents several studies in the field, in order to illustrate the type of research that has been done, the instruments used for the assessment of the participants and also a number of methodological issues that can guide research and procedures pre-academic intervention to promote psychological development. Some concluding remarks about the topic are made, particularly on research findings in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this paper are, on the one hand, to present the differences in the results that may be incurred when working with some automated database functions to obtain scientific production and, on the other hand, to reveal the mistakes made by Aluja et al. (2011) in their considerations and suggestions to the study of Olivas-Avila and Musi-Lechuga (2010a). In this paper, we show that the procedure used to replicate the study is incorrect and, therefore, the authors did not only confuse production with diffusion indicators, but also suggest many indicators that have no discriminative power with the sample studied,-- and the most striking--one hundred percent out of the ten cases analyzed were incorrectly analyzed and, therefore, the results do not correspond to the real record count in the Web of Science (WoS). In some cases, the errors involved items omitted from the WoS. The authors also propose rates like the percentage of articles in journals of Spanish spheres, or the percentage of items as first author. These indexes have no theoretical or empirical justification or previous studies that support them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This scientific paper focuses the problem of classification of methods of scientific research. Probably covered in theoretical research, not just what they have been awarded scientific knowledge that it is obtained, but also the method by which it is obtained. Is there any chance that supports logical methodological consistency of classification methods in this science are instituted? What reason attends the defense of the idea, that the methodology of scientific research stands through empirical methods, where, regardless of the empirical constitutes the above to the scientific level, the theoretical and the empirical are exclusive natures of knowledge? What arguments invoked in order to demonstrate the falsity of the thesis in which I become identical knowledge and methods according to their scientific nature? Why cling undoubtedly the medieval universal educational thought to absolute canons and the concept of method as a way or path holding?, we would not be far from the scientificity that he quintessential definition and it should be given? The basal idea is to defend and to subsume questions formulated above is to be irrevocably dialectical relationship between the method and theory, which necessarily comes first classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to analyze the potentialities and insufficiencies in the development of cultural heritage tourism in the city of Santiago de Cuba. The information gathered for the work was the result of the analysis and synthesis of data obtained in tourism's enterprises in the city. The empirical methods used in the research were direct observation and interviews to groups of experts. The paper evaluates the main contradiction in using cultural heritage as touristic resource, and the potentialities and insufficiencies in the development of tourism in Santiago de Cuba. As a final remark, the author states that the city of Santiago de Cuba has attractions that allow to place it at the top of national tourism. However, there are insufficiencies related to management, promotion, tourism policies, the misuse of cultural resources and the opportunities offered by the regional context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper aims at reviewing the empirical work which links psychosocial factors with cardiac disease and was published between 1980 and 2010. The literature search was conducted systematically, on databases and was completed manually on the basis of reference lists. Finally, 59 scientific articles were selected and analyzed thematically in accordance to the aim of this review. The conclusion is that there is an extensive theoretical corpus that supports the association between psychosocial factors and coronary disease. This justifies the appearance for behavioral cardiology as the branch of psychology which studies these factors in relation to cardiac disease. This paper presents suggestions for future research in connection to these topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an empirical study on the progressive introduction of interactive whiteboard (IWB) in classrooms of 20 schools in Spain. The participant teachers experimented with the use of Promethean IWB in their classrooms during academic years 2008 to 2010. The process of experimentation was backed up with 2 conferences and 2 work-shops for training and feed-back, and complemented with online information. We present some of the most common IWB uses and especially the evaluation results of IWB learning outcomes (in the classroom), with regard to IWB didactic uses, advantages, disadvantages, students' academic performance and competencies aimed at. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of innovation patterns in hospitality firms. To this end, we have use a representative sample of 443 Spanish hospitality firms (NACE-55) taken from the Third Community Innovation Survey (CIS-3), which is based on the revised version of the Oslo Manual. For the attainment of the objective of the paper we carry out, on the first place, a descriptive analysis to provide empirical evidence on a variety of aspects of innovation activities in hospitality firms. On the second place, we carry Out a multivariate analysis and, in particular factor and cluster analysis to identify innovation patterns. The results confirm the existence of 5 clusters or patterns of innovation among hospitality firms that we have called "high process-innovating firms", "high product-innovating firms", "traditional process-oriented firms", "innovative low cooperated firms", and "innovative strongly cooperated firms". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting a legal definition of informality, this paper studies the causes of informality in general and with a particular application to Mexico. It starts with a discussion on the definition and measures of informality. It then argues and provides evidence that informality is not only a reflection of underdevelopment but may also be the source of further economic retardation. Next, the paper analyzes informality's main determinants, arguing that informality is not single-caused but results from the combination of poor public services, a burdensome regulatory regime, and weak monitoring and enforcement capacity by the state. This combination is especially explosive when the country suffers from low educational achievement and features demographic pressures and primary production structures. The paper then evaluates the empirical relevance of each determinant of informality to the specific case of Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the findings of a review of 51 Latin American empirical studies on television audiences published between 1992 and 2007 in the most important journals in the region. The analysis compares the studies according to their theoretical approach, research techniques and type of television content. Findings show that cultural studies is the most popular theoretical approach, that television and daily life, and the mediations are the topics covered the most, and that many studies still lack a solid methodological base. The paper presents a diagnosis of the strengths and weaknesses of current Latin American empirical research on television audiences and points out the need for more methodological rigor and emphasis on ideological readings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is part of a broader research that aims to design a model of evaluation of educational systems, based in social cohesion. The starting point is located in previous research about the context variables; it is cared more frequently a theoretical justification and metric quality of output variables, leaving aside the variables that can help interpret the results. In our case, we conducted a review of the scientific literature, based in empirical papers that use PISA database and published between 2000 and 2012. The methodology is structured in two phases: identification and selection of documents and further analysis of these documents. The analysis of documents consists of identifying certain indicators in order to explore. Some results suggest that researchers in the field of education underuse PISA databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the empirical and theoretical results of Positive Psychology, emphasizing its relation with Aristotelian moral theory. Empirical research in Positive Psychology contributes a certain theoretical model about well-being, close to the Aristotelian moral thesis that happiness and well-being consists in the exercise of virtues. The implications for education that be derived are important, especially in teacher's training. If its results are correct, we need to pay major attention to virtues and character strengths, both in teaching practice and education policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a reply to José Luis Gaviria's paper «The Priority of the Philosophy of Education over the Empirical Disciplines in Educational Research. A response to Gil Cantero and Reyero». The main arguments to be discussed are as follows: Education is an action, not an object, nor a closed mechanism made of programmed inputs and outputs which can be probabilistically considered. Education is essentially constituted by value orientations; the complex reality of the human is not limited by what is real, current or empirical. What is possible is relevant too. Hope takes part of educational knowledge; the hope that what is unexpected finally happens. Judgment in education is a kind of unveiling, it is an empathic adequacy, it is the subjective experience of an educational ideal which appears to us as a whole coherent with a particular sense of reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a speculative response to the article published in this journal by Fernando Gil Cantero and David Reyero advocating the priority of philosophy of education on empirical research. This answer is based on four arguments: Contemporary empirical research involves an ontology rather complex than it is assumed in their paper. The relationship between both disciplines takes place at two levels: At the most general level they are interdependent; at the lower level, close to the action, they can not contradict each other. In order to apply knowledge coming from both disciplines to practical problems, an epistemic intermediary is necessary. This intermediary combines principles derived from both disciplines, but also additional assumptions that jointly shape a pedagogical normative. The epistemic intermediary is what we call the 'professional wisdom', whose intertwined components are 'wisdom' and 'technology', both necessary for the professional performance of teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What makes elegant, valid, useful and convincing evidence? Find the answer to this question has been the work field for decades by various researchers. In the literature there is a number of papers on Empirical Software Engineering and discussed in countless discussions, workshops, conferences and special issues of journals. This article presents a reflection on the evidence; is reviewed progress in Software Engineering and attempts to answer questions such as: What is the good that has been done so far? Where will the related research? The findings show that: 1) find about convincing evidence is harder than you may think, 2) Software Engineering researchers have to work together as a community and share their achievements, and 3) it must be acknowledged that convincing evidence is a specific component context, because that is convincing for someone may not be for others. Consequently, we must be prepared to reinterpret and rescan each time you disclose something about. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological addiction is rapidly becoming a serious health problem in the world and in Peru. Although, there are earlier studies, Goldberg (1995) is recognized as the pioneer in introducing the internet addiction topic as a new disorder; from that time much empirical research has been developed. But, these new addictions have not yet been recognized as disorders by the clinical and psychiatric diagnosis manuals, except in the case of pathological gambling, which is considered within the related disorders with compulsions in the DSM-III; also hyper-sexuality is classified as an addiction in the DSMV. In our environment, there is a little research about the topic, but each time there is increasing interest among researchers and doctors. The present paper is a bibliographical conceptual review, and empirical data on the subject of behavioral addictions. The main psychological addictions have to do with new technologies and tools: internet, social networks, mobile phones, video games; but addictions to sex, work and shopping are also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much has been written about the effect of written corrective feedback (WCF) in a second language in the last fifteen years. Even though early studies show contradictory and controversial results, a growing body of research has recently demonstrated the efficacy of written corrective feedback in the acquisition of some linguistic features. However, still for many L2 researchers and teachers of writing, this approach is not very practical and even far from a real educational context. In addition, an emerging body of studies has researched how computer mediated communication can impact new forms of corrective feedback in the near future. Consequently, in this paper we introduce a research design for error correction in L2 writing, which is based on the robust methodology of the SLA studies, the relevance of the educational context of the studies of L2 writing and the role of technology in corrective feedback delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the relationship between empirical educational research and philosophy of education. The authors analyze the arguments against the dominant character of the empirical paradigm and find three types of arguments. The first one, would consist in arguments that criticize the technification of political decisions. The second one, arguments based in educational particularities and the third one, arguments based on relational characteristic of the educational activity and the value of practical moral judgment. The text ends with a reflection on the contributions of that philosophy of education can make to empirical research. These contributions can be grouped into three categories. First, it can help to establish an epistemological approach to research, second, it offers a holistic view of the educational phenomenon that enables to see better the scope and limits of research results and third, it provides particular modes of articulating thought, to assist educators in critical clarification of educational issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies give importance to the person of the therapist in the development of psychotherapy. In Chile, Moncada, Olivos and Rojas (2003) analyzed the empirical literature on the therapist between 1990 and 2002. The aim of this paper is to continue that analysis, looking for the Chilean production between 2003 and 2011. Sixteen articles of four journals related to this subject were found: six evaluated the relationship of therapist to patient, six go deeper into the therapist's view on elements of their work, four analyze the exhaustation and self-care, three address the training of psychotherapists. We conclude that although the number of articles is not significantly higher than the previous period, there is an evolution in their methodological design and focus of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies increasingly develop strategies and implement governance models of efficient management. These systems of government are based on innovative measures, policies for social and environmental responsibility, and strategic alliances. All are being considered in recent years as efficient policies for the governance of institutions, creating value and better business results. This paper addresses good governance from a comparative analysis of capitalist enterprises and social economy to the region of Murcia. Transparency, democratic management, innovation, partnerships, among others, can make the difference between the modus operandi of these businesses and the effects thereof in the territories where they settle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the effect of innovative activities sources on innovation performance. For the empirical study we use data from the Encuesta sobre Innovación Tecnológica de las Empresas for the year 2007. The results suggest that the use of only one innovation activity source (internal or external) has a negative effect on innovation performance and that the best innovative performance is obtained when different innovation activities sources are combined. Finally, internal&external, only external and internal&external&cooperation are the innovative activities sources less dependent on the innovative performance measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of unpaid bank debts is becoming increasingly important in developed countries. Many empirical works are being published in an attempt to find a model capable of determining as accurately as possible whether an individual requesting a loan will be able to pay it back. This paper analyses the predicting capability of one non-parametric and two parametric models. As regards the former, the often-overlooked problem of overlearning is also tackled using the cross-validation technique. Furthermore, a three-level grading of loan applications is proposed depending on their likely performance: grant, refuse, or doubtful hence subject to manual consideration by bank staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an empirical study comparing the performance of two ability-based Emotional Intelligence (EI) tests (MSCEIT and TESIS). A sample of 164 participants completed both instruments and significant correlations were obtained among several of the tests' scores, although remarkable differences were also found. The Spanish MSCEIT overall score and two of its areas (Experiential and Strategic) showed a correlation of .18 with the TESIS total score (Sensitivity). Several MSCEIT sub-tests correlated discreetly but significantly with the three TESIS scores (Sensitivity, Naïve- Insensitivity and Over-interpreting-Insensitivity). From a differential point of view, both TESIS and MSCEIT seem to detect changes in EI due to age but, in the case of MSCEIT, results were counterintuitive (EI decreases with age). Similarly, TESIS results seemed more logical than those of the MSCEIT when comparing groups by gender, although not reaching statistical significance. When analysing undergraduate students, MSCEIT was more discriminative than TESIS, but again the results were controversial. All these data raise the need to better understand the variables measured by both tests, and also question whether the current instruments for measuring EI have actually gathered evidence of construct validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, agro-food cooperatives have not been making widespread use of websites despite the potential benefits of their successful integration and management. The advantages that websites offer include ease and reliability in processing orders, the increased quality of the services offered and improving relations with their stakeholders. In this context, the objective of this paper is to explore the level of website use among agrifood cooperatives, examining the history behind their adoption and the consequences of their implementation. For this purpose, it proposes a theoretical framework to identify these factors and reports on an empirical study of information obtained from a survey of Spanish agri-food cooperatives. The results of the study indicate that the adoption of websites is favoured by the site not being perceived as complex and by the managers having more training, among other factors. In view of these findings, it is suggested that it is important to make a more advanced use of the service, relating it correctly to the achievement of the company's objectives, in order to increase the adoption and extent of website use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The various types of social enterprise include Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs), which have to compete in the market from a position of inferiority. This paper first examines different aspects of WISE management, emphasising the use of strategic management tools. After defining the theoretical aspects of WISEs and social management, it continues with an empirical study that focuses on WISEs in the Valencia region of Spain in connection with the main management variables in these enterprises. The results highlight the low levels of professional management skills and strategic analysis tool use. Strategic management therefore needs to be introduced into WISEs, while taking into account their peculiarities in the case of the Valencia region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the dynamics of Brazilian cultural policy between 1995 and 2010. Studies related defend the existence of a "contrast" between the results obtained by the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2002) and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003- 2010), that divide it between a model "neo-liberal" and a "democratic" model of cultural policy. Our main achievement is to produce empirical knowledge that can verify these claims. The build of indicators was guided by the theoretical assumption of the historical new institutionalism, discussed by Pierson (2006), and the observed universe comprises the totality of cultural producers who have submitted projects to "Mecenato", registered in SALICNET - Ministry of Culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every society develops a particular system of beliefs that summarizes its vision of socio-political organization, culture and interpersonal relationships. Each of these three basic dimensions has different forms, depending on the spatial and temporal context of societies. The belief system of the service societies is characterized by a democratic vision of social and political organization, rejection of radical social changes and high levels of interpersonal trust. This paper empirically examines the incorporation and adaptation of the postmodern belief system in a sample of university students. The participants belong to a country that is slowly integrating into the service societies. We used a scale of postmodernity to analyze the incorporation of the postmodern belief system. The results indicate that there is a peculiar combination of the three basic dimensions of the postmodern belief system, where the postmodern conceptions of culture and social relationships have lower acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruit and vegetable cooperatives are major players in Mediterranean agriculture and play an important role in its development in Catalonia. This paper aims to analyse the economic and financial situation of this kind of cooperative in the province of Tarragona from an empirical study based on the analysis of the annual accounts for the years 2005 to 2009. A study has been carried out on the composition of their assets and liabilities, the main items in their profit and loss accounts and the principal economic and financial ratios of these entities using a dynamic analysis and an analysis based on scatter diagrams using linear regression. In this study it will be shown that these cooperatives find themselves in an unfavourable economic and financial situation, aggravated by the economic crisis and that size is not a determining factor for the improvement of said situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the determinants of school attendance and labor participation of young people between 15 and 18 years old in Argentina. The empirical analysis is based on bivariate probit models for the period from 2004 to 2009 with data from the Permanent Household Survey (EPH-INDEC). The main results show the positive impact on both school attendance and the economic inactivity of youth when an adult member of the household is employed in a protected job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the socioeconomic determinants of school attendance and time allocation of young people between 15 and 18 years old in Argentina. We are particularly interested in knowing the importance of each of them. The empirical analysis is based on a multinomial logit model for the period 1997-2009 with data coming from the Permanent Household Survey, Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos ( INDEC), covering the urban population in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces the monographic section on Positive Occupational Health Psychology (POHP), presenting eight theoretical and empirical papers about diverse topics. Traditionally, research on occupational health has mainly been focused on causes of diseases and on identifying and preventing work factors related to worker's impaired health. However, this biased view may not provide a complete understanding of the mechanisms that lead to employee well-being and performance. We discuss the differences of POHP with similar constructs, and review reasons for its importance in the development of this field. Overall, the studies included in the monographic section show the usefulness of focusing on positive constructs, and present ideas and questions that we hope may help to further our progress in the field of POHP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The University considered as a generating-knowledge center in the teaching process at undergraduate and postgraduate studies carries out extramural research. This paper assesses the evolution of the academic thinking about housing, based on theoretical and methodological approaches used at Havana School of Architecture during the last thirty years. The theoretical and empirical research results show that the University has always been involved in the solution of the housing problem; allow to assess the evolution of thinking in relation to the international trends, confirm the leading role of the University at all times, and demonstrate the slowness in the application of the new knowledge to the social practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present an overview of the development and state of art in empirical research in family therapy. Psychotherapy research traditions: outcome studies, process and progress are reviewed. These traditions have been generating new trends of inquiry, such as studies on common and specific factors, effectiveness and efficacy of therapy and empirically validated treatments. After several decades of research have shown that family therapy is effective and efficacious. However, mechanisms by which change occurs are still a source of intense debate and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout this paper I analyze the tension between political science and political philosophy, in order to establish their differences and point out the material object of study of political science as an independent and different body of knowledge of politics. On the other hand, I expose the tight link between the consolidation of western nation-states and the establishment of science as a fundamental institution within their construction. Hence, these two lines of analysis show that political science as we conceive it appears as late as the 1920's with the foundation of the Chicago School by Charles Merriam in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present analysis establishes the current state of the e-learning model at the Open and Distance National University (UNAD) from the perspectives of the technological, social and pedagogical entities. The framing of the discussion is given from the exploration on conceptualizations after empirical analytical, phenomenological and systemic studies at the global level that allows for setting up the arguments to give a critical review to the technological, social and pedagogical articulation on the institution. The paper is organized by presenting an integral vision on e-learning, the establishing of the entities and connecting them to the Unadista context but highlighting their articulation. Results are the insights about the current state of the institutional e-learning context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although violence against women has gain attention, there is little evidence of studies about phycological violence against a partner. This paper uses data from Encuesta Nacional de Demografía y Salud (ENDS) to assess empirically models of violence against a partner. One of the main findings is that the higher the economic independence of the women, the lower the phycological violence against a partner. Some other results show that women with higher education level, belonging to a violent or low income family and living in cities different from Bogotá is correlated with higher probability of phycological violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Argentinian cooperative sector has a long history of economic activity in a variety of market sectors. According to the Census of Cooperatives and Mutuals of Argentina (INAES, 2008), in 2008 it was composed of 12,760 organizations which generated 265,054 direct jobs and had a total membership of 9,392,713. Market trends, complexity and globalization are not foreign to these organization, many of which are seeking to adapt and respond to a new phase of expansion that might possibly lead to their economic globalization. One question that naturally arises is: To what extent are these economic globalization strategies actually present in Argentinian cooperatives? This paper addresses this issue and presents an analysis and conclusions based on survey results from a sample of 100 Argentinian cooperatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aims of the formation, related theoretically to the performance of human resources, self-training, information and effectiveness, have been identified as the amount in which the company goes further from knowledge to learning. In this paper three hypotheses applied to the Spanish aquaculture are proposed to model the differential aim follow-up and the achievements of the formation plans. The empirical analysis has been carried out with the data of 99 representative companies of the aquaculture sector. The SPSS 19 statistical program was used for the data analysis. A factor analysis was made by the method of principal components. Eighteen nonparametric tests of Kruskal-Wallis type were applied, as well as 36 chi-squared tests. As a result, three principal components were identified that explain 80% of the variance of the aims: the first one refers to policies of implication of human resources, the second one is related to objective circumstances and the third one is associated to dynamism. It was confirmed that the relevance of aims is proportional to the percentage of expense in formation and, specifically, it is greater in suppliers. Finally, significant differences in the results of the formation with respect to the reduction of errors were observed, this reduction being greater in fish distribution and production. Significant differences were also observed in the effect of the formation on the motivation of the employee, this being greater in fish suppliers and producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]