In this article, the dominant legitimating discursive strategies around the ever-increasing labour demands and ever-declining standards of safety and well-being at work in Spain are analysed through the lens of Boltanski and Thévenot’s (2006) view of the transformation of capitalism. A qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews is used. Results show that the justificatory arguments most commonly put forward by managers and experts are the logic of supply and demand, and values related to flexibility, resilience and adaptability to change. In (...) contrast, the stability and protection established in the twentieth century are widely cherished values, particularly among union representatives and some human resources specialists. We found that discourse practices map two specific legitimating categories (market values and a projects orientation), and one critical category (Civic World), but the critical category has no practical impact, as the predominant feeling is resignation. Our research describes the common attitudes to legitimacy in the job market and points to a deep discontent in some of its key agents. (shrink)

The Post-genomic Era includes features both from a methodological and epistemic point of view and from an ontological perspective. Firstly, it incorporates new methods of high-throughput sequencing of DNA and RNA, and the development of complete genomes that allow a precise reference of the molecular results obtained. In addition, from an ontological perspective, the centre of gravity of the molecular processes is placed on the expression of genes, and the way in which such expression is regulated; these features turn the (...) attention towards the study of Gene Regulatory Networks, and in particular to the role of RNA. This new molecular-biological perspective based on new methodologies and approaches is affecting the existing Molecular Genetics Theory including the definition of gen and Central Dogma of Molecular Biology. An important philosophical challenges posed by this new situation is the question whether there is a sophistication of the present theory or a New Theory of Molecular Genetics and whether there is an incommensurability between this theory and the accepted theory. In this work we evaluate these changes in the light of Kuhn’s theory of scientific revolution in order to propose an alternative between a moderate and a strong view. According to the moderate one, the Post-genomic changes do not properly involve a paradigm shift or, if they do, they constitute a minor revolution. The strong view considers that, the anomalies disclosed in the Molecular Genetics Theory at conceptual and methodological level and the Post-genomic changes they lead to suppose a scientific paradigm shift. (shrink)

Objective: To measure the stability of life-sustaining treatment preferences amongst older people and analyse the factors that influence stability. Design: Longitudinal cohort study. Setting: Primary care centres, Granada (Spain). Eighty-five persons age 65 years or older. Participants filled out a questionnaire with six contexts of illness (LSPQ-e). They had to decide whether or not to receive treatment. Participants completed the questionnaire at baseline and 18 months later. Results: 86 percent of the patients did not change preferences. Sex, age, marital status, (...) hospitalisation, and self-perception of health and pain did not affect preferences. Morbidity and the death of a relative did. Conclusion: Stability of preferences of older persons in relation to end-of-life decisions seems to be more probable than instability. Some factors, such as the death of a relative or the increase in morbidity, can change preferences. These findings have implications for advance directives (ADs) and advance care planning. (shrink)

Background: COVID-19 has taken many lives worldwide and due to this, millions of persons are in grief. When the grief process lasts longer than 6 months, the person is in risk of developing Complicated Grief Disorder. The CGD is related to serious health consequences. To reduce the probability of developing CGD a preventive intervention could be applied. In developing countries like Mexico, the psychological services are scarce, self-applied interventions could provide support to solve this problem and reduce the health impact (...) even after the pandemic has already finished.Aims: To design and implement a self-applied intervention composed of 12 modules focused on the decrease of the risk of developing CGD, and increasing the life quality, and as a secondary objective to reduce the symptomatology of anxiety, depression, and increase of sleep quality. The Intervention Duelo COVID follows the principles of User Experience and is designed according to the needs and desires of a sample of the objective participants, to increase the adherence to the self-applied intervention, considered one of the main weaknesses of online interventions.Methods: A Randomized Controlled Trial will be conducted from the 22nd of December of 2020 to the first of June 2021. The participants will be assigned to an intervention with elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness and Positive Psychology. The control group will be a wait-list condition, that will receive the intervention 1.5–2 months after the pre-measurement were taken. The Power Size Calculation conducted through G*Power indicated the need for a total of 42 participants, which will be divided by 21 participants in each group. The platform will be delivered through responsive design assuring with this that the intervention will adapt to the screen size of cellphones, tablets, and computers.Ethics and Dissemination: The study counts with the approval of the Research Ethics Committee of the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez, México, and it is registered in Clinical Trials. The article is sent and registered in clinical trials before the recruitment started. The results will be reported in future conferences, scientific publications, and media. (shrink)

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the Spanish mobile phone industry to determine how mobile phone companies and certain institutions can improve protection for children who use mobile phones. We carried out a multivariate statistical analysis using anonymous primary data from mobile phone companies, and institutions and associations that protect children, to compare these stakeholders’ opinions and to put forward solutions. We proved that, even though some European countries have made an effort to provide safer ICT services, all (...) stakeholders still need to cooperate and agree on solutions to the commercial problems associated with children using mobile phones. This can be done by signing codes of conduct. We found that even though some companies implement measures to protect children from accessing harmful content via their mobile phones, they do so for reasons of legal and not social responsibility. (shrink)

The article explains the relationship between formal education and cog- nitive development in chapter 6 of Vygostky’s Thought and Language, “The development of scientific concepts in childhood; the design of a working hypothesis”. Subsequently, it frames the proposal of Vygotsky in Annette Karmiloff-Smith’s theory of cognitive development. The thesis is that formal education is fundamental in the child’s mental develop- ment because it enables the child to become aware of spontaneous thin- king, that is, to recognize spontaneous thinking as a (...) particular instance of a more general and abstract thought, namely, the scientific thought. Fina- lly, I set up objections to this thesis and suggest that Vygotsky’s position is not incompatible with current research on conceptual development, but complements it. (shrink)

Este artículo tiene como objetivo general fundamentar el mapa de funciones del docente de investigación -a quien las autoras han designado como LOI-, con el fin de que sirva de base a la generación del estándar de competencia en la enseñanza de la metodología para asegurar el aprendizaje significativo desde el enfoque constructivista. El estudio presenta los resultados alcanzados en dos conglomerados, uno que recibe la enseñanza tradicional de metodología y otro que considera el nuevo enfoque establecido en el Mapa (...) de funciones LOI, y su impacto en la eficiencia terminal y la disminución de la deserción universitaria. (shrink)

Estamos conmemorando este año un hito fundamental en la Historia del Constitucionalismo en España: las Cortes de Cádiz y la Constitución de 1812. En circunstancias harto difíciles, en el punto más alejado de la Península, Cádiz, cercado por as tropas napoleónicas y con la presencia de la fiebre amarilla, ambiente magistralmente recreado por Ramón Solís en su libro "El Cádiz de las Cortes", un grupo de españoles, de España y de Ultramar, van a llevar a cabo una página relevante de (...) nuestra Historia: redactar la primera Constitución española. (shrink)

En este artículo se formula un análisis crítico sobre el uso de Rúbricas durante los ejercicios de coevaluación entre pares sobre su desempeño en la investigación desarrollada en los estudios de posgrado. Las entrevistas a estudiantes y docentes muestran cómo se profundiza y amplía la comprensión de la descripción académica sobre el resultado que se busca por la aplicación de la metodología, debido a la observación contrastada del trabajo propio con el desempeño de los demás, de acuerdo con el sistema (...) de la enseñanza de la metodología de investigación propuesta por Alcántara y Ramírez (2022). (shrink)

_Defensione delle donne_, de Agostino Strozzi, es una de las obras filóginas más significativas en lengua italiana compuesta a finales del siglo XV. Nos consta la existencia de dos versiones recogidas en dos manuscritos que presentan contrastes significativos entre ambas. Una de ellas más extensa y, sobre todo, más radical en sus argumentos en defensa de las virtudes femeninas, está dedicada a su prima Margherita Cantelmo. En esta comunicación se describe y profundiza en los contrastes presentes en ambas versiones o, (...) dicho con otras palabras, en lo que podemos considerar como dos misteriosos manuscritos. (shrink)

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo identificar necesidades del sector del cuero calzado y marroquinería de la ciudad de Bogotá, a nivel de digitalización. Investigación mixta de carácter exploratorio, de corte transversal, cuyos resultados evidencian la apremiante necesidad de programas y estrategias que permitan a pequeños y microempresarios generar sinergias diseñadas de manera explícita, que respondan a solucionar problemas neurálgicos para estas industria, en dinámicas de transferencia de conocimiento principalmente a nivel de competencias tecnológicas, acompañamiento en procesos de digitalización que (...) les ayuden a mantenerse vigentes frente a la nueva normalidad y a adaptarse a las dinámicas que esta imponga. (shrink)

Objeto: la crisis de la COVID-19 ha causado un cambio profundo en el estilo de vida de la ciudadanía. Las olas previas han demostrado que en régimen de confinamiento se pueden desarrollar problemas de salud mental y hay efectos sobre la actividad física y cambios en los hábitos dietéticos. Tema y metodología: se envió a los trabajadores del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) un cuestionario en línea sobre sus costumbres relacionadas con la salud durante el confinamiento en España. Resultados: (...) en general se observó una mejora en los patrones dietéticos, excepto por la ingesta de aperitivos y de productos de panadería y bollería. La actividad física quedó sustancialmente reducida, especialmente en los hombres, al contrario que los cambios psicológicos, que fueron mayores en las mujeres, manifestados principalmente como ansiedad y desorden del sueño. Además, las conductas de ingesta alimentaria como escape emocional se detectaron principalmente en las mujeres, aunque la ingesta relacionada con el aburrimiento se observó en ambos géneros. Conclusión: los patrones dietéticos de los trabajadores del CSIC siguieron en general las recomendaciones para el confinamiento de la COVID-19, aunque la mitad de los participantes disminuyeron la práctica de actividad física. Con respecto a los cambios psicológicos, las conductas de ingesta alimentaria como escape emocional aparecieron asociadas a la ansiedad, especialmente en las mujeres, y al aburrimiento en ambos géneros. (shrink)

Se presenta una propuesta de innovación educativa, dirigida al alumnado de Educación Secundaria, fundamentada en el uso de los itinerarios didácticos teatralizados como recurso didáctico con perspectiva de género. Para su confección se pretende una metodología que privilegia los contenidos procedimentales y que fomenta el pensamiento histórico y, por ende, el pensamiento crítico. Los contenidos seleccionados están relacionados con el siglo XVI y XVII y, más concretamente, con la persecución y procesamiento de mujeres por brujería y hechicería por parte del (...) Tribunal de la Inquisición. Para ello se toma como centro de estudio el proceso que se llevó a cabo en Córdoba contra Leonor Rodríguez, lo que llevará al alumnado a reflexionar y a preguntarse sobre los estereotipos de la mujer en la historia, así como en la actualidad, con la intención de formar a una ciudadanía crítica y comprometida. (shrink)

Introduction: Loss of employment is an experience that is lived and interpreted differently depending on a series of individual variables, including the psychological resources available to the affected person, as well as their perception of their degree of employability. Losing one’s job can be one of the most painful and traumatic events a person has to withstand. Following a dismissal, the worker needs to overcome a period of emotional adaptation to the loss. But that period of grieving can also condition (...) the process of job search of the person, and be influenced by different variables, highlighting the age and work experience. The objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between intensity and type of affliction due to the loss of employment in older workers and their level of employability. Method: We carried out a descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 140 unemployed participants, from 19 to 65 years of age, users of job Orientation in the Public Employment Service of Andalusia (España). Of the total participants, 66 were unemployed and over 45 years of age. They all took the Labour Insertion Potential Assessment Test, and the Texas Inventory revised adapted to job loss Results: Significant differences are shown in the grieving process due to loss of employment between both groups, with the older unemployed living the process more intensely. In relation to the employability potential, differences are found between both groups in terms of availability, perceived difficulties and fears. Interrelationships between total grieving intensity and the importance that older jobseekers give to work are also indicated. Conclusion:Loss of employment and the psychological and health consequences of this situation are identified with those that arise in the grieving process. Older workers present a series of features that determine that their job loss grieving process is more intense and lasts longer than that of other younger workers, regardless of whether the job loss was recent or not. On the other hand, it is shown that the intensity of grieving is related to the decrease of certain variables that are part of the concept of employability. (shrink)

The accuracy of proxies when they interpret advance directives or apply substituted decision-making criteria has been called into question. It therefore became important to know if the Andalusian Advance Directive Form (AADF) can help to increase the accuracy of proxies' predictions. The aim of this research was to compare the effect of the AADF on the accuracy of proxies' predictions about patients' preferences with that gained from informative and deliberative sessions about end-of-life decision making. A total of 171 pairs of (...) patients and their proxies were randomized to three groups. The control group's answers to the Life Sustaining Preferences Questionnaire (LSPQ) were compared with their proxies' answers to the same questionnaire. In one intervention group, the patients had already completed the AADF and given it to their proxies, who used it to guide their own answers to the LSPQ. In the second intervention (discussion) group, both patients and proxies attended two educative sessions guided by trained nurses and later filled in the LSPQ. Comparisons of accuracy and other variables showed a strong association with the discussion group. The findings show that promoting communication between patients and their proxies improves the accuracy of proxies' predictions much more than isolated use of the AADF form. (shrink)

El pensamiento y la actividad del movimiento feminista se ha traducido en una conquista de realidades nuevas y diferentes tendentes a lograr la transformación de la situación de dependencia y sumisión de las mujeres respecto a los hombres. Si bien es cierto que a lo largo de este proceso de emancipación las mujeres han cosechado un innegable éxito en las sociedades democráticas, al menos en lo que se refiere a la construcción legislativa, se mantiene una desigual posición de hombres y (...) mujeres en ámbitos diversos. En este sentido, la aplicación de la Ley de Dependencia, ejemplo en nuestro país de ampliación de los derechos sociales, puede tener el efecto no deseado de contribuir al mantenimiento de los roles tradicionales de hombres y mujeres. (shrink)

RESUMEN: Este trabajo considera la conceptualización y aplicación de la figura de los ajustes razonables en Qatar tras nueve años desde la ratificación de la Convención sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad (CDPD). En él se trata de analizar la situación de igualdad y no discriminación de las personas con discapacidad utilizando como medida de impacto la figura de ajustes razonables. El artículo destaca las principales fallas y virtudes del Estado de Qatar respecto a esta figura y traza (...) un camino a fin de poder avanzar en la inclusión de las personas con discapacidad a la luz de la CDPD. ABSTRACT: This paper considers the conceptualization and application of reasonable acommodation in Qatar after nine years since the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). It analyzes the situation of equality and non-discrimination of people with disabilities using the figure of reasonable adjustments as an impact measure. The article highlights the main failures and virtues of the State of Qatar regarding reasonable accommodation and draws a path to move forward in the inclusion of people with disabilities in the light of the CRPD. PALABRAS CLAVE: ajustes razonables, igualdad, CDPD, Qatar. KEYWORDS: reasonable accommodation, equality, CRPD, Qatar. (shrink)

Reimagining a community on the basis of vulnerability entails recognizing our responsibility vis-à-vis those who prosper and those who do not persist because they are abandoned or eliminated. The recognition of our vulnerability allows us to find other forms of community that, built upon the human bonds of protection, escape the abstraction of the value of life, bearing in mind, instead, the socio-political conditions that sustain it, especially when they fail. This is not an easy task in contexts marked by (...) violence. The main issues addressed in this paper are: the recognition of vulnerability, violence as a rupture of interdependence, and our responsibility towards others. Examining our vulnerability can become the cornerstone of another community. (shrink)

Los pacientes con síndrome braquicefálico suponen un reto para el anestesiólogo, ya que la mayoría de ellos tienen alteraciones en el sistema respiratorio que convierten a estos animales en pacientes de riesgo.

In the context of comparing linguistic profiles across neurodevelopmental disorders, Down syndrome has captured growing attention for its uneven profile. Although specific weaknesses in grammatical and phonological processing have been reported, research evidence on phonological development remains scarce, particularly beyond early childhood. The purpose of this study was to explore the phonological profiles of children and adolescents with Down syndrome. The profiles were based on the frequency and relative proportion of the processes observed by classes, and they were compared to (...) those of typically developing preschool children of similar verbal age. A complementary goal was to assess the effect of two different methods of elicitation: a test of articulation and spontaneous speech sampling. Finally, intergroup and intragroup differences in full match percentages between three positions at syllable-level were assessed. The results of the present study confirmed that the frequency of phonological processes in children and adolescents with DS is atypically high and is above what is expected for lexical age and at the same level as grammatical age. Highly increased frequency of processes, consistent in all kinds of processes and positions at the syllable-level, and asynchronous with verbal age and mental age suggest atypical developmental trajectories of phonological development in the Down syndrome population. (shrink)

The objective of this work was to construct and validate an instrument for assessing resilience to suicide attempts in a Spanish clinical population that has made a previous attempt, and to verify its efficacy for predicting future suicide reattempts at 6 months. For the construction of a Scale of Resilience to Suicide Attempts the theoretical-rational strategy was used. The constructed SRSA-18 consisted of 18 items and 3 subdimensions, had high internal consistency and a high positive correlation with the Suicide Resilience (...) Inventory-25, SRI-25, and to a lesser extent with general resilience scales such as the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, CD-RISC and the Resilience Scale of 14 items, RS-14. Additionally, a specific SRSA-18 score predicted future suicide reattempts 6 months after the first attempt. This new scale assesses in a brief and rapid way, through protective factors rather than risk factors, the level of resilience to the suicide attempt in specific clinical subpopulations in hospital emergency services, being able to prevent suicide reattempts with higher lethality. (shrink)

Escribir hoy en día un libro sobre hermenéutica, que tal hermenéutica se refiera a la desarrollada por G. Gadamer en su conocido Verdad y método y que se pretenda añadir algo nuevo a lo mucho escrito sobre el tema parecería, a primera vista, empresa irrealizable. Que ambas pretensiones inspiren la sólida monografía de María G. Navarro —titulada Interpretar y argumentar— constituye empresa audaz y arriesgada, plena de coraje innovador, que provoca admiración, curiosidad e interés. Contra lo que pudiera parecer a (...) primera vista, el libro contiene un alto componente de originalidad y creatividad, debido a la estratagema metodoló-gica de que se sirve la autora. A saber, una hermenéutica in obliquo, estrategia consistente en interpretar a la hermenéutica gadameriana a través del prisma de la lógica de la argumentación. (shrink)

The concept of polarity is pervasive in natural language. It relates syntax, semantics and pragmatics narrowly, Semantics: an international handbook of natural language meaning, De Gruyter Mouton, Berlin, 2011; Israel in The grammar of polarity: pragmatics, sensitivity, and the logic of scales, Cambridge studies in linguistics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2014), it refers to items of many syntactic categories such as nouns, verbs and adverbs. Neutral polarity items appear in affirmative and negative sentences, negative polarity items cannot appear in affirmative (...) sentences, and positive polarity items cannot appear in negative sentences. A way of reasoning in Natural Language is through Natural Logic. This logic is based on the concept of polarity in order to make the meaning of a sentence weaker o stronger without changing its truth value. There exist many proposals to compute polarity in the Natural Logic context, the most widely known are the ones by: van Benthem, Sánchez-Valencia, Dowty, and van Eijck, 6th international Tbilisi symposium on logic, language, and computation, Batumi, Georgia, Springer, 2007). If Natural Logic is going to be used, as an inferential mechanism between text fragments, in Natural Language Processing applications such as text summarization, question answering, and information extraction, it is a priority to know what the existing relationship among the aforementioned algorithms is; for example, to implement the most general. We show in this paper the equivalence among the analyzed algorithms, filling a gap in Natural Logic research, particularly in computing polarity, and the soundness of their algorithms. (shrink)

En este artículo se presentan los resultados de un estudio sobre la existencia de sesgos de género en la educación científico-tecnológica. En él se pretende demostrar con datos la existencia de creencias estereotipadas acerca de los géneros en el profesorado de ciencia y tecnología de la universidad y de la enseñanza secundaria. De esta manera se quiere establecer si lo que afirman ciertas disciplinas científicas acerca de las capacidades cognitivas, destrezas actitudes y comportamientos de las mujeres se transmite en la (...) enseñanza de la ciencia y la tecnología, y si se perpetúan así los sesgos de género presentes en estas disciplinas a través de la formación de las nuevas generaciones de científicos/as y tecnólogos/as. Este estudio se ha realizado en la Universidad de La Laguna y los institutos de enseñanza secundaria de Tenerife, pero creemos que los resultados obtenidos podrían ser generalizados a las universidades e institutos del resto de España. (shrink)

We distinguish two pathways people may follow when they join violent groups: compliance and internalization. Compliance occurs when individuals are coerced to join by powerful influence agents. Internalization occurs when individuals join due to a perceived convergence between the self and the group. We searched for evidence of each of these pathways in field investigations of former members of two renowned terrorist organizations: the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and Islamist radical groups. Results indicated that ex-fighters joined LTTE for reasons (...) associated with both compliance and internalization but that ex-fighters joined Islamist radical groups primarily for reasons associated with internalization. When compliance occurred, it often took the form of coercion within LTTE but involved charismatic persuasion agents within Islamist groups. This evidence of systematic differences in the reasons why fighters enter violent groups suggests that strategies for preventing radicalization and fostering de-radicalization should be tailored to particular groups. (shrink)

ResumoO objetivo da reflexão é conseguir um contato assertivo entre Hegel e Kierkegaard, quando ambos analisam a tarefa demonstrativa com a prova ontológica da existência de Deus. Trata-se de aproveitar que Kierkegaard reflete um pouco sobre a lógica do pensamento nas Migalhas filosóficas, para buscar um acordo com Hegel nessas áreas, além dos confrontos habituais entre o “existencialismo” de um e o “logicismo” do outro. Ao longo de quatro séries ou eixos argumentativos, ambos os autores, em seus respectivos modos, analisarão (...) detalhes da prova ontológica da existência de Deus e, na minha opinião, se familiarizarão com a mesma ideia, segundo a qual: a demonstração da existência de Deus começa demonstrada. Basicamente, eles chegarão ao dilema socrático-platônico da reminiscência ou de "saber que você sabe".AbstractThe objective of the reflection is to achieve an assertive contact between Hegel and Kierkegaard, when both analyze the demonstrative task with the ontological proof of the existence of God. It is about taking advantage that Kierkegaard reflects a little on the logic of thought in Philosophical fragments, to seek an agreement with Hegel in these areas, beyond the usual confrontations between the “existentialism” of one and the “logicism” of the other. Throughout four series or argumentative axes, both authors, in their respective modes, will analyze details of the ontological proof of the existence of God and, in my opinion, will become familiar under the same idea, according to which: the demonstration of the existence of God begins demonstrated. Basically, they will arrive at the Socratic-Platonic dilemma of reminiscence or of "knowing that you know". (shrink)

Over the last few decades, the Internet has brought about a myriad of benefits to almost every aspect of our daily lives. However, malware attacks have also widely proliferated, mainly aiming at legitimate network users, resulting in millions of dollars in damages if proper protection and response measures are not settled and enforced. In this context, the paper at hand proposes MalSEIRS, a novel dynamic model, to predict malware distribution in a network based on the SEIRS epidemiological model. As a (...) result, the time-dependent rates of infection, recovery, and loss of immunity enable us to capture the complex dynamism of malware spreading behavior, which is influenced by a variety of external circumstances. In addition, we describe both offensive and defensive techniques, based on the proposed MalSEIRS model, through extensive experimentation, as well as disclosing real-life malware campaigns that can be better understood by using the suggested model. (shrink)

The US poultry industry based on flexible accumulation has been advanced as the model of agro-industrial development for agrifood globalization. Similarly, Mexico has been presented as a noteworthy example of the negative effects of neoliberal restructuring associated with the globalization project. In this paper we use both of these assertions as points of departure to guide an investigation of the case of the restructuring of the Mexican poultry industry. Informed by a commodity systems analysis, archival data and key informant interviews (...) are used to generate an overview of the history of the poultry industry in Mexico. A sociology of agrifood theoretical framework informed by regimes theory is employed to analyze the events of the case. We conclude that neoregulation related to the IMF and NAFTA restructuring in Mexico facilitated the diffusion of the US model of poultry production. (shrink)

Research examining Service-Learning in Physical Education Teacher Education is ample. However, long-term investigations are still scarce and literature demands the application of this type of design to uncover the effects of SL on the long run. This study followed a longitudinal quantitative approach; thus, the participants completed the Civic Attitudes and Skills Questionnaire in three occasions. Results show that there exist significant differences between mean values of the global outcomes of the CASQ; concretely, there was an improvement in the first (...) interval followed by a decrease in the second period. Regarding the different dimensions of the CASQ, leadership skills, attitudes towards social justice and attitudes towards diversity showed significant differences too. This research leads towards better understanding of methodological strategies promoting quality education, positing SL as an adequate possibility in this respect, also in the long term. (shrink)

En el siglo XVII la monja concepcionista sor María Jesús de Ágreda y el monarca español Felipe IV iniciaron una correspondencia epistolar en la que trataron cuestiones filosóficas y políticas de diversa índole. Este artículo analiza la aplicación que llevaron a cabo de los conceptos filosóficos de “guerra justa” y “razón de Estado” con el fin de salvaguardar una monarquía católica ya en declive.

The aim of this study is to examine whether gender diversity on audit committees influences financial reporting quality by using panel data of Spanish listed firms. The financial reporting quality of firms is measured by the type of opinion received in the audit report. We estimate various panel data models of audit opinions and control for factors that are traditionally found to impact audit opinions. This study provides evidence to support the hypotheses that the percentage of females on ACs reduces (...) the probability of qualifications due to errors, non-compliance or the omission of information. Furthermore, the results also find that the percentage of female directors on ACs, the percentage of independent female directors on ACs and ACs chaired by females increase the likelihood of further transparency by disclosing audit reports with uncertainties and scope limitation qualifications. (shrink)

This article analyzes the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) decoupling and financial market outcomes. CSR decoupling refers to the gap between CSR disclosure and CSR performance. More specifically, we analyze the effect of CSR decoupling on analysts’ forecast errors, cost of capital, and access to finance. We also examine the moderating effect of forecast errors on relationships between CSR decoupling and cost of capital and access to finance. For a sample of U.S. firms consisting of 7,681 firm-year observations for (...) the period 2006–2015, our empirical evidence supports the idea that a wider gap results in higher analysts’ forecast errors, a greater cost of capital, and reduced access to finance. In addition, our results show that forecast errors enhance the effect of the CSR decoupling on cost of capital and access to financial resources. We also note that external monitoring, in the form of greater analysts’ coverage, reduces CSR decoupling. (shrink)

Integrated approaches in the ethical decision-making (EDM) and practically wise decision-making literature are emerging as alternative perspectives to management theories that conceptualize decision-making in a rationalist and value-free manner. However, more dialogue between both perspectives and qualitative research that applies them is required. In addition, there is a need for empirical analysis on business engagement in the face of grand challenges in developing countries. This paper proposes an integrated practically wise EDM framework to study how Colombian councilors who, in 2013, (...) voted for or against the merger between the Colombian state-owned company UNE and the Swedish multinational Millicom interpret this decision and its public impact. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with a voluntary sample of 18 of 21 councilors. Supporters of the UNE-Millicom merger expressed open-mindedness, seeing the merger as a means to achieve justice. On the contrary, the merger’s opponents expressed circumspection, doubting that Millicom’s intentions really leaned toward justice. We conclude that practical wisdom—embodied by both supporters and detractors—fosters an understanding of EDM beyond what leaders should not do. It also includes a democratic and balanced deliberation on what leaders think they should do to promote the common good. (shrink)

Ante ciertos modelos causales del agente libre inspirados en Tomás de Aquino, resulta interesante atender al modelo causal presentado por Tomás mismo, especialmente en un texto a partir del cual se puede rastrear la exposición de la acción libre como el efecto de los cuatro sentidos causales aristotélicos. Se trata de la cuestión sobre los actos imperados (ST I–II, q. 17); en cuyos primeros cuatro artículos –y en sus textos paralelos– determina que la voluntad es causa agente; la razón práctica, (...) causa ordenadora; y el imperium de ambas (razón y voluntad) se relaciona con el acto imperado como lo formal con lo material. (shrink)

Altruism and solidarity are concepts that are closely related to organ donation for transplantation. On the one hand, they are typically used for encouraging people to donate. On the other hand, they also underpin the regulations in force in each country to different extents. They are often used indistinctly and equivocally, despite the different ethical implications of each concept. This paper aims to clarify to what extent we can speak of altruism and solidarity in the predominant models of organ donation. (...) It also raises the ethical question of whether these categories are adequate as a basis for such models, bearing in mind that organs are a scarce resource and that a shortage of them may mean that fewer lives are saved or improved. (shrink)

This research focuses on examining the relationship between some attributes of assurance providers and the level of sustainability assurance. By using the propensity to issue negative conclusions in the assurance statement as an indicator of the level of assurance, we examine whether the brand name and industry specialisation of the practitioners have an impact on the assurance opinion issued. Using an international sample of 1233 firm-year observations over the period 2007–2014, the findings document the impact of the brand reputation and (...) industry specialisation of assurance providers on the level of assurance. The probability of detecting material errors and omissions in a sustainability report is higher if it is verified by a Big 4 auditing firm and by an industry expert as an assurance practitioner. The greater experience in providing audit services and the relevant skills and training provided by Big 4 firms, as well as the greater knowledge and experience of industry experts, increase the propensity to report more accurate opinions about a sustainability report. The findings are robust for alternative measures for the level of assurance and the industry specialisation. (shrink)

This paper aims to examine the credibility value of sustainability assurance and the type of assurance provider on cost of capital. A large sample of international companies from the period 2007–2014 was used to develop our models of analysis. We find a greater decrease in cost of capital for companies that publish and assure their social and environmental reports. Thus, voluntary sustainability disclosures decrease the cost of capital. However, companies also have the opportunity to reinforce this decrease by providing an (...) assurance statement, so increasing the credibility of corporate social responsibility information. In addition, the decrease in the cost of capital is significantly higher when such assurance is provided by a top-tier accountancy firm instead of by engineering or consultancy firms; this result supports also the reputational capital of accountancy firms. (shrink)

This article explores the proposal offered by Ian Hacking for the distinction between natural and social sciences—a proposal that he has defined from the outset as complex and different from the traditional ones. Our objective is not only to present the path followed by Hacking’s distinction, but also to determine if it constitutes a novelty or not. For this purpose, we deemed it necessary to briefly introduce the core notions Hacking uses to establish his strategic approach to social sciences, under (...) the assumption that they are less well known that the ones corresponding to his treatment of natural sciences. (shrink)

Business Ethics: A European Review, EarlyView.

This article develops the relationship between Hans-Georg Gadamer and Spanish philosophers at the end of the 20th century after the completion of a research stay in the Deutsche Literatur Archiv in Marbach. New materials and unpublished correspondence recently found in the Deutsche Literatur Archiv in Marbach reveal common interests and intellectual links between Hans-Georg Gadamer and several Spanish philosophers: Jose Ortega y Gasset, Julián Marías, Laín Entralgo, Xavier Zubiri or Emilio Lledó. The letters, that Gadamer wrote and received, show that (...) the evident dialogical character of Gadamer’s hermeneutic was always one of his most representative characteristics. These unpublished notes are of particular interest in the understanding of the history of philosophy in Spain and the hermeneutical development. (shrink)

The aim of this research is to examine what impact female institutional directors on boards have on corporate performance. Previous research shows that institutional female directors cannot be considered as a homogeneous group since they represent investors who may or may not maintain business relations with the companies on whose corporate boards they sit. Thus, it is not only the effect of female institutional directors as a whole on firm value that has been analysed, but also the impact of pressure-resistant (...) female directors, who represent institutional investors that only invest in the company, and do not maintain a business relation with the firm. We hypothesize that there is a non-linear association, specifically quadratic, between institutional and pressure-resistant female directors on boards and corporate performance. Our results report that female institutional directors on boards enhance corporate performance, but when they reach a certain threshold on boards, firm value decreases. In line with female institutional directors, pressure-resistant female directors on boards also increase firm value, but only up to a certain figure, above which they have a negative impact on firm performance. These findings are consistent with an inverted U-shaped relationship between female institutional directors and pressure-resistant female directors and firm performance. (shrink)

Inconsistency toleration is the phenomenon of working with inconsistent information without threatening one’s rationality. Here I address the role that ignorance plays for the tolerance of contradictions in the empirical sciences. In particular, I contend that there are two types of ignorance that, when present, can make epistemic agents to be rationally inclined to tolerate a contradiction. The first is factual ignorance, understood as temporary undecidability of the truth values of the conflicting propositions. The second is what I call “ignorance (...) of theoretical structure”, which is lack of knowledge of relevant inference patterns within a specific theory. I argue that these two types of ignorance can be explanatory of the scientists’ rational disposition to be tolerant towards contradictions, and I illustrate this with a case study from neutrino physics. (shrink)