Journal articles on the topic 'Research Subject Categories – SOCIAL SCIENCES – Other social sciences'

AbstractTo the extent that intersectionality is becoming a common term in mainstream social science, it is as a methodological justification to separate out different racial, ethnic, gender, class, and other social groups for empirical analysis. One might call this the “intersectionality hypothesis,” and in its best incarnation, it is about getting the facts right and finding the differences that matter. But an intersectional analysis in the social sciences often involves more than this. An intersectional approach also leads to potentially different interpretations of the same facts, or what we term a different social explanation. It is not only the intersection of categories that defines an intersectional project, then, but the theoretical framing that informs the analysis and interpretation of the subject under study. This framing often leads to an analysis of multiple and even conflicting social dynamics that enable certain kinds of social understanding that are otherwise invisible when scholars focus on a single set of social dynamics. Because the social theoretical aspects of research on intersectionality are rarely discussed, relative to the more methodological and ontological aspects of intersectionality, this is our main subject matter in this article. We focus on the process of developing social explanations rooted in the intersection of multiple social dynamics in several examples from our own research and across a variety of topics in social science research.

AbstractThe primary goal of this article is to identify the research fronts on the application of data-driven methods in business and economics. For this purpose, the research literature of the business and economic sciences Subject Categories from the Web of Science is mapped using BibExcel and VOSviewer. Since the assignment to subject categories is done at the journal level and since a journal is often assigned to several subject categories in Web of Science, two mappings are performed: one without considering multiple assignments (broad view) and one considering only those (articles from) journals that have been assigned exclusively to the business and economic sciences subject categories and no others (narrow view). A further aim of this article is therefore to identify differences in the two mappings. Surprisingly, engineering sciences play a major role in the broad mapping, in addition to the economic sciences. In the narrow mapping, however, only the following clusters with a clear business-management focus emerge: (i) Data-driven methods in management in general and data-driven supply chain management in particular, (ii) Data-driven operations research analyses with different business administration/management focuses, (iii) Data-driven methods and processes in economics and finance, and (iv) Data-driven methods in Information Systems. One limitation of the narrow mapping is that many relevant documents are not covered since the journals in which they appear are assigned to multiple subject categories in WoS. The paper comes to the conclusion that the multiple assignments of subject categories in Web of Science may lead to massive changes in the results. Adjacent subject areas—in this specific case the application of data-driven methods in engineering and more mathematically oriented contributions in economics (econometrics) are considered in the broad mapping (not excluding subject categories from neighbouring disciplines) and are even over-represented compared to the core areas of business and economics. If a mapping should only consider the core aspects of particular research fields, it is shown in this use case that the exclusion of Web of Science-subject categories that do not belong to the core areas due to multiple assignments (narrow view), may be a valuable alternative. Finally, it depends on the reader to decide which mapping is more beneficial to them.

Objective of the study is to determine the opinions of university students on urbanization and urbanizing (urbanizing can also be defined as “becoming urbanized,” “urban culture,” or “urban adaptation” and will be used with these meanings throughout the study) and their misconceptions on this subject. Data of the research were obtained from the free word association test applied to 74 fourth- and fifth-grade students from the geography teaching department who took the course of urban geography and 67 students from the social sciences teaching department who took the four lessons in which the subjects of urbanization and urbanizing were told by the researcher. Data obtained from the study were classified and categorized according to their semantic relationships by researcher. When categories examined, it is seen that students cannot distinguish the concepts of urbanization and urbanizing thoroughly and they include almost the same statements. This result shows that there are a lot of misconceptions. Although some student-teachers took the course of urban geography and others were presented about the subject briefly, it is difficult to capture a conceptual integrity in perception. Students mostly confuse the concepts of urbanization and urbanizing. In fact they are not even at the cognitive level needed for distinguishing the concepts of urban, urbanize and urbanization. Statements that they wrote about the concepts of urbanization and urbanizing resemble and these statements define the urban more.

This exploratory article attempts to generalize knowledge and approaches to the understanding of tourism as integrating concepts in scientific discourse on the study and research of tourism as a phenomenon of human life. There are new requirements in the study of theoretical and applied some problems before tourism science, in particular at the level of understanding of tourism as an object of scientific knowledge. The topical theoretical task is to harmonize the understanding and interpretation of tourism science, tourismology, their parts, the improvement of the concept of the separation of object-subject and methodological foundations of scientific disciplines. To solve these and other actual problems, it is necessary to combine the efforts of various sciences and their parts, individual scientists nationally and globally. The article deals with the peculiarities of tourism as a social phenomenon, an object of scientific knowledge and research, an efficient branch of economics, a part of fundamental and applied sciences, and its structure. Each science has its own subject and object of research and is a synthesis of knowledge about the phenomena of reality that it studies. However, it certainly is in certain interrelationships with other sciences. Thus, the methodological functions of tourism and tourismology are considered, such as: integrative, system-forming, structural-functional. Approaches to understanding the essence of tourism, tourism, as the fundamental categories in the scientific sense of the main object of research – tourism are described. Particular attention is paid to the geography of tourism, its place in the system of sciences and individual disciplines, their connection between them and their mutual influence. The basic directions of tourism studies are defined: the philosophy of tourism, the history of tourism, praxeology of tourism, the geography of tourism, cultural studies of tourism. We have identified tourismology and positioned it in the classification scheme over tourism in the context of scientific substantiation and conceptualization of theoretical and practical foundations of tourism studies with all its components. Key words: tourism, tourism science, tourismology, tourism geography, classification.

A range of methodological frameworks is available to assist decision-makers with evaluations of projects concerned with biodiversity conservation (the protection, management or restoration of biodiversity), but their uptake has been relatively limited. Some researchers suggest a lack of research interest to be one contributory factor, in particular in relation to the application of interdisciplinary approaches that integrate methods from the natural and social sciences, despite the insights that such approaches can bring. We evaluated this assertion by examining the provenance of some examples of current research in this area. Specifically, we compared two exemplar papers published in a conservation journal and one in an interdisciplinary ecological economics journal. We scored the cited references in each paper according to standard subject categories. These scores were then weighted and aggregated to give an overall quantified subject category distribution for each of the three focal papers. Comparison of the three papers revealed an expected dominance of subject categories most closely aligned with ecological science. However, there were different patterns of provenance in the three papers. One paper from the conservation journal was dominated by citations of other papers in the biodiversity conservation literature. The second paper from the conservation journal and the paper from the ecological economics journal displayed similar overall patterns of disciplinary provenance, although they diverged in disciplinary provenance for the less commonly cited disciplines, such as the social sciences. Our results suggest that research in biodiversity project evaluation may be developing along at least three, relatively distinct, pathways rather than as a genuinely interconnected research theme. This is likely to hinder progress in research but also in practical application of the techniques, in terms of reducing the likelihood of identifying inadequate, inappropriate or inefficient conservation investments. There is still considerable opportunity for further collaboration in the areas of biodiversity evaluation among researchers in a range of disciplines, including ecology, economics, statistics, forestry and wildlife management. Biodiversity conservation evaluation is a growing field, but its potential is unlikely to be fulfilled unless biodiversity researchers seek to develop a more integrated community, and particularly, to learn from researchers in other disciplines where evaluation has a longer history.

The subject. The authors create an instrumental apparatus that saturates existing and emerging data needs in the theory constituting process and thus create preconditions for police practice development.The methodology. The research is based on the content analyses of final research reports, the object of which is police proceedings and the subject is police reality,The purpose. The authors substantiate the following hypothesis. The source of the development of knowledge in police practice and the development of police theory is a permanent solution to the philosophical contradiction between police theory and police practice, with police practice being the defining aspect of this contradictory unity. The need and areas of scientific knowledge of activities in the police proceedings structure are therefore determined by police practice.The main results. By verifying police practice, the authors confirm the necessary obligatory interaction between theory and practice, which is predominantly determined by the achieved research outputs and their acceptance. At the same time, they respect that systematically processed knowledge from applied research can show the character of a theory. In accordance with their knowledge, consisting of a system of knowledge presented by the achieved outputs from scientific research, evaluation and explanation of phenomena registered in the purposeful implementation of activities in the structure of police proceedings (research object). The term police action can be understood as a synthetic term for a holistic grasp of the police activity and its bodies. The activity of police and security authorities means: a special form of professional service for the state, self-governing as well as commercial organizations and, last but not least, citizens. It contains a set of executive, organizational, management and other activities that have the character of official interventions, official acts, other official activities and other measures. They are carried out in accordance with the rule of law and ethical principles of civil democratic society, preventive and, where necessary, repressive methods of police work. Their aim is to protect the fundamental human rights of citizens and society from crime and other anti-social activities. They define the identity of these phenomena through the subject (optics) of research, systematically defining the police reality by the process parameters, their determinants and constructs of specific police activities. In the Slovak Republic, the authors of this paper participate in the performance of tasks related to the constitution of police sciences. The outputs of applied research offer a system of scientific knowledge about police reality. With the dialectical approach, in relation to the examined activities in the structure of police proceedings, they define the reasons related to the assumption of the existence of links among the elements of police reality, or they reveal their objective absence. By identifying systems, the authors create a model of these purposefully implemented activities with properties characterizing their behaviour. At the same time, they respect that the strategic form of the parameters of this model is expressed by the achieved set intentions and goals of certain specific activities. Determining them is a concentrated expression of this will. The basic context in their work (participation in the process of constituting police sciences), determining the meaning and mission, is a specific subject accepted by them. This is the police reality, an objective fact that the theory of police sciences examines and uses to explain existing and emerging objects. Therefore, their activity in the process of constituting police sciences corresponds to changes in social processes. When creating their instruments (conceptual system, categories, theoretical models, forms of thinking), they combine it with the explanation of new approaches related to the development and advancement of policing processes, characterized by openness and possibilities of social control in their purposeful implementation. This confirms that this process forms a system. Its design shows relative stability and closeness. They do not include any inputs in its content, just those that are foreseen and anticipated. In this context, they realize that the interdisciplinary of concepts enriches the view of constituted police science. For the police sciences , the abstractness and generality of statements from other scientific disciplines is not a starting point, but already the result of research into specific systems (disposition of knowledge), significantly contributing to increase effectiveness of their scientific work. In the conditions of the Slovak Republic, the police sciences are constituted as practical, social and security sciences. Therefore, the authors of this paper accept that the theoretical and methodological development of police sciences requires them to be confronted and independently dealt with the current state in the theory and methodology of science in the early 21st century, to be sensitive to the current development of the overall scientific atmosphere and independently and critically. In this process, the meaningfulness of their scientific work is evident. This corresponds to the registered needs for the transfer of scientific knowledge into police practice.Conclusions. From these findings it is clear that in the current stage of development of the Slovak Republic, the process of constituting police sciences forms a structured system with to the point management. Its successful completion is also determined by the results of a constructive discussion, the authors participated in with this presented knowledge.

The ability to innovate and be creative in student learning is influenced by many factors, including learning barriers (internal and external to students). This learning barrier implies student self-efficacy in dealing with mathematics learning problems and working on math test questions. This study aims to analyze the relationship between self-efficacy, barriers to student learning and academic achievement from learning outcomes. Specifically, analyzed students' creative thinking abilities for each selected group for learning barriers and self-efficacy. The population in this study was drawn from the mathematics education students as many as 154 students. Analysis of learning barriers and self-efficacy on academic achievement statistically used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The discussion of the research results was carried out descriptively and qualitatively from the results of the SEM processing and the results of the students' written tests, to provide comprehensive conclusions from the selected subjects. From the population, four subjects were selected, namely the subject with the very unobstructed category, the subject with the obstructed category, the subject with the quite obstructed category and the subject with the obstructed category. The quantitative research results show that learning barriers have a negative effect on student self-efficacy. Meanwhile, self-efficacy has a significant positive effect on student academic achievement. Meanwhile, qualitatively students with learning disabilities in the very unhindered category can improvise creativity in solving problems better than other categories. Received: 6 January 2021 / Accepted: 11 February 2021/ Published: 5 March 2021

A review of: Tucker, James, Corey. “Database Support for Research in Public Administration.” Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian 24.1 (2005): 47-60. Objective – To examine the extent to which six commercial database products support student and faculty research in the area of public administration. Design – Bibliometric study. Setting – Academic library in the United States. Subjects – Six commercial business-related database products were examined: Proquest’s ABI/INFORM Global edition (ABI), EBSCO’s Business Source Premier (BSP), Gale’s General BusinessFile ASAP (GBF), EBSCO’s Academic Search Premier (ASP), EBSCO’s Expanded Academic Index (EAI) and Proquest’s International Academic Research Library (ARL). Three of the databases (ABI, BSP, GBF) were chosen because they address the management, human resource, and financing elements of public administration. The other three (ASP, EAI, ARL) were included because of their multidisciplinary coverage. Methods – A list of journal titles covering public administration was assembled from the Institute of Scientific Information’s Social Sciences Citation Index and previously published lists of recommended journals in the field. The author then compared the compiled list of journal titles against the journal titles indexed by the six database products. He further analyzed the results by level of journal coverage (abstract only, full-text, and full-text with embargo) and subject area based on categories described in Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory. Main Results – The study found that three of the six database products --EAI, BSP, and ARL -- provide indexing for the greatest number of public administration journals contained in the compiled list. EIA and ARL cover the greatest number of those that are full-text journals, while BSP and ASP cover the greatest number of those full-text journals limited by publisher embargoes. Conclusion – The author concludes that of the six databases examined, EAI, BSP, and ARL are the best for public administration research, based on their strength in the subject areas of public administration and public finance. The author also recommends that librarians in the field of public administration “carefully evaluate each database to see which one best fits the needs of the library and patrons” (56).

Purpose – Uncovering faculty members’ conceptions of Information Literacy (IL), as well as exploring their perceptions with regard to the importance given to a previously defined set of core IL competences grouped into four categories: searching, evaluation, processing and communication and dissemination. Ascertaining the possible differences among the five knowledge branches (arts and humanities, sciences, social and legal sciences, health sciences, and technical disciplines); and understanding the importance granted to a set of learning improvement initiatives by the faculty. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The survey was completed by a set of faculty members from the University of Granada (Spain). Data were collected using the IL-HUMASS survey. The research is based on subjective data, first approached from a descriptive point of view. Later, data correlation, analysis and non-parametric tests were used with the goal of finding significant differences of faculty perceptions among the relevant academic areas. Findings – Results suggest that more than half of the surveyed faculty have what the authors define as an Academic Concept of IL. The IL categories of communica\tion and dissemination and searching were graded in significance by the staff as being “very important,” while those of evaluation and processing were assigned a slightly lesser rating of “important.” Results suggest that IL awareness falls into two broad groups differentiated by subject discipline: those from health sciences, social and legal sciences and arts and humanities representing the first group, and sciences and technical disciplines the other. Research limitations/implications – This approach address the subjective status of faculty concepts in a single university, but also in all knowledge branches. Future research is needed. Originality/value – This is one of the few papers regarding faculty perceptions of IL.

Demographic changes and increasing diversity in the United States bring about changes in how people define themselves and how they categorize others. I describe three issues that are relevant to the labeling and self-definition of ethnic groups in U.S. society: (1) the creation and definition of identity categories, (2) the subjectivity of self-definition, and (3) the flexibility of identity expression. In each case, substantial research from social psychology and related disciplines supports a socially constructed definition and use of ethnic categories, wherein identities are subject to the influence of local and national norms and are amenable to change across situations and over time.

The categories «income» and «wealth» are now at the center of the study of many social sciences and if «income» clearly tends to the field of scientific research of economists and financiers (but is not limited to them), «wealth», is a category in which researchers in the fields of sociology, psychology, philosophy and other sciences are no less interested. The interest of a wide range of sciences in the essence of the studied categories reflects social changes taking place in the world in general and in Ukraine in particular. Thus, according to Credit Suisse, the lower half of wealth owners in mid-2019 owned less than 1% of total world wealth, while the richest 10% owned 82% of world wealth, and the richest 1% of owners – 45%. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the essence of the categories «income» and «wealth» and to form a theoretical basis for the asymmetries of their distribution. The article considers the theoretical essence of the categories «income» and «wealth» and reveals the differences between them. The definition of these categories in the reference literature is analyzed, the key features that characterize them are identified and the definition of the categories «income» and «wealth» in accordance with the given features is formulated and substantiated. A graphical interpretation of the asymmetries of the distribution of income and wealth of the population, corporate income and national income and wealth is given. The study showed that the key differences between the categories of «income» and «wealth» is that wealth can take both tangible and intangible expression, and income is only valuable. At the same time, wealth involves owning a large number of goods. By influencing the subject, income improves his material condition, and wealth arises from the assertion of tangible or intangible goods as such in the human mind.

Abstract The popularity of social media platforms in the library and information science field has resulted in a significant number of studies exploring their various aspects and applications. Despite this, research on social media’s relevance to library preservation and conservation issues is still limited. This study uses a descriptive statistical approach to analyse Instagram content (posts) related to library preservation and conservation issues. This research aims to propose a classification scheme for this content and to identify which categories are most frequently used. It is essential to determine how academic libraries are using Instagram to disseminate this information to the public, and this study aims to increase understanding of this area and to assist in raising preservation awareness among scholars. The results of this study show that libraries’ social media accounts have been portraying library preservation activities in positive and interesting ways on Instagram, though the subject is mentioned less frequently than other topics.

AbstractThe identification of one’s own research strengths is of crucial importance for research administration at universities. In this case study, two different approaches were applied to the University of Vienna. The first relies on funding and rankings information as well as on other esteem indicators. The second is based on a bibliometric analysis of the publication output. We used two alternative clusterings for publications for the bibliometric analysis: Web of Science subject categories and lists of researchers associated with esteem-indicators. Both, esteem-indicators and bibliometric analysis proved to be useful in identifying research strengths, lead to similar results and are meant to be used together to complement each other. We found that the greatest hindrance in the bibliometric approach lies in the inherent limitations of journals-assignment-based classification systems and the considerable time and efforts for more accurate researcher-based publication analyses. Further investigation on this subject, including new and alternative metrics, is needed and will be conducted in the future. However, the preliminary results already demonstrate the benefits of using esteem-factors together with bibliometric analyses for research strengths definition of universities.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to debate intersectionality as a key methodological aspect for critical research. While intersectionality is a consensus for critical studies, it is important to highlight the challenges that a perspective that consider power relations across social categories put forward. For this, I examine how these relations are seen in research, and highlight the risks of hierarchical views on social categories, or the invisibilization of those same categories. Design/methodology/approach These reflections will be primarily based on previous research on immigration in São Paulo and on older transsexual women in Brazil, studies that required a multi-faceted analysis. The studies were based on critical feminist, post-colonial studies and psychoanalysis to examine discourses and to unravel the social imaginaries on the immigrant and on transsexual women in Brazil. For this, I bring forth the notion of the other as a discursive space often placed on these groups, and how the discursive position also reflect views on gender, race, sexuality and class as structural discursive boundaries in Brazil. Findings Taking the border as a metaphor to read everyday encounters, the body becomes a mark of difference, where subjects are placed at specific discursive (and also geographical) positions – at the center or at the margins. Taking this into account, the paper highlights two main aspects: first, a debate on the importance of intersectionality for critical methodological frameworks, and second, how critical discourse analysis allow us to defy the taken-for-granted binary constructions of other-us, that are continuously re-evoked and reified in discourse. Originality/value This debate is important as there are innumerous ways of approaching intersectionality, hence a critical analysis into current debates and methodological standpoints become central.

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the generalization of the main vectors of the tax competitiveness theory’s development. The main purpose of the article is to analyze and systematize the research of scientists on the formation of tax competitiveness of the country, to identify the relationship of tax competitiveness with other economic categories, to determine the most promising areas of research on this issue. The results of trend analysis of scientific publications on tax competitiveness, indexed by Scopus and Web of Science scientometric databases, show a gradual increase in the relevance of these issues. The average growth rate of the number of publications on tax competitiveness in the Scopus database exceeds 12%, and in the Web of Science database – 45%. The methodological tools of the bibliometric analysis are VOSViewer v.1.6.10 and Scopus and Web of Science database analysis tools. The object of analysis is 4,598 publications indexed in the Web of Science database and 4,898 publications indexed in the Scopus database. The issues of international tax competitiveness became most relevant in 2003-2005, which coincided with the period of aggravation of the global economic crisis, which was accompanied by a significant reduction in tax revenues to budgets. The article identifies the top 10 Journals, most of which are indexed simultaneously by two databases and are part of the first quarter, in which the issue of tax competitiveness was considered most often. The study empirically confirms and theoretically proves the intersectoral nature of the study of the problem of the country’s tax competitiveness. According to the Web of Science database, issues of tax competitiveness were most often considered within the subject areas of Economics (39% of publications); Business Finance (6%); Environmental Studies (6%); Political Science (5%); Law (4%); Urban Studies (3%); Business (3%); Management (3%); Environmental Sciences (2%); Public Administration (2%); Regional Urban Planning (2%); International Relations (2%); Operations Research Management Science 2%) and others (21%), while according to the Scopus database – Economics, Econometrics and Finance (published 28% of all papers); Social Sciences (21%); Business, Management and Accounting (13%); Engineering (7%); Environmental Science (7%); Medicine (5%); Energy (4%); Computer Science (2%); Arts and Humanities (2%); Decision Sciences (2%); Earth and Planetary Sciences (1%); Materials Science (1%); Agricultural and Biological Sciences (1%); Others (6%). The paper clusters international research networks on tax competitiveness by geographical area and identifies 5 clusters of cooperation of scientists in the preparation of publications indexed in the Web of Science database and 4 clusters – in the preparation of publications indexed in the Scopus database. According to the results of the analysis of metadata of publications devoted to the tax competitiveness, 14672 keywords, the frequency of use of which exceeds 5, were identified and grouped into 5 patterns. Most often, the concept of tax competitiveness is associated with the concepts of tax, economics, competition, costs, taxation.

Partition, the break-up of colonial India in 1947, has been the subject of considerable serious historical research, but almost exclusively from two distinctive perspectives: as a macropolitical event; or as a cultural and personal disaster. Remarkably, very little is known about the socioeconomic impact of Partition on different localities and individuals. This exploratory essay considers how Partition affected working people's livelihood and labour relations. The essay focuses on the northeastern part of the subcontinent, where Partition created an international border separating East Bengal – which became East Pakistan, then Bangladesh – from West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, and other regions which joined the new state of India. Based largely on evidence contained in “low-level” state records, the author explores how labour relations for several categories of workers in the new borderland changed during the period of the late 1940s and 1950s.

This paper aims to explore the current status, research trends and hotspots related to the field of infrared detection technology through bibliometric analysis and visualization techniques based on the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) articles published between 1990 and 2018 using the VOSviewer and Citespace software tools. Based on our analysis, we first present the spatiotemporal distribution of the literature related to infrared detection technology, including annual publications, origin country/region, main research organization, and source publications. Then, we report the main subject categories involved in infrared detection technology. Furthermore, we adopt literature cocitation, author cocitation, keyword co-occurrence and timeline visualization analyses to visually explore the research fronts and trends, and present the evolution of infrared detection technology research. The results show that China, the USA and Italy are the three most active countries in infrared detection technology research and that the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique has the largest number of publications among related organizations. The most prominent research hotspots in the past five years are vibration thermal imaging, pulse thermal imaging, photonic crystals, skin temperature, remote sensing technology, and detection of delamination defects in concrete. The trend of future research on infrared detection technology is from qualitative to quantitative research development, engineering application research and infrared detection technology combined with other detection techniques. The proposed approach based on the scientific knowledge graph analysis can be used to establish reference information and a research basis for application and development of methods in the domain of infrared detection technology studies.

Introduction. The article presents an analysis of the dialectics of goals and means as the most important philosophical categories that are actively used in the general theory of law and other legal sciences. The idea is substantiated that the effectiveness of the legal regulation of social relations, as well as the optimization of law-making, law-realization and law-interpretation processes, is based on a comprehensive analysis of such philosophical categories as "goal" and "means", which is explained by the very essence of legal regulation, which is traditionally understood as purposeful influence on public relations carried out with the help of legal means. Particular attention is focused on the nature and characteristics of goals and means, their relationship with the needs and interests of participants in public relations, as well as on those aspects of their interdependence that predetermine the specifics of legal regulation.Materials and methods. The methodological basis of the study was made up of both general scientific and particular scientific methods of cognition. The fundamental method was the dialectical method, which made it possible to analyze the nonlinear nature of the interaction of goals and means as interrelated categories, as well as to explore the contradictions of the coexisting interests of the individual, society and the state, which predetermine the legal influence on social relations. The research also actively used the formal-logical method, the method of system-structural analysis, the synthesis of social and legal phenomena, the comparative legal method, the functional-analytical and system oriented approaches.Research results. As a result of the analysis, it was revealed that the issue of the interaction between goals and means is relevant for any of the spheres of public life, and the key issue in this regard is not so much the variant of the “goal-means” correlation that we think is right to prefer in particular situation, as much as the fact that the means is not only an "appendage" of the goal. Thus, the means used to achieve a particular goal can change the goal itself, just as a particular goal can be viewed as a means to achieve a goal of a higher level. In addition to the above, the means used to achieve the goal can lead to a result that the subject of social relations rejects.Discussion and conclusion. The conclusion is substantiated that the achievement of the goal is a certain result, however, it is also necessary to evaluate the result of achieving the goal itself, because it can be extremely unsatisfactory for the subject. It is argued that the dialectics of goals and means largely explains the nature of social relations as a dynamic, complex, self-developing and open system, which is distinguished by incompleteness, non-linearity and alternative development.

The cognitive specificity of social pedagogy is its interest in the issues related to social conditionings of human development and, respectively, the specific social conditionings of the upbringing process. The notion has been developed in various directions since the very beginning of the discipline, yet the most clearly visible area seems to be the functioning of individuals, families and broader environment. Simultaneously, it is possible to observe that the issues have been entangled in certain socio-political conditions, the knowledge of which is substantial for the reconstruction and identification of the research heritage of social pedagogy. All these interrelationships allowed to distinguish particular stages of development of social pedagogy. Contemporarily, it is a discipline with descent scientific achievements which marks out and indicates new perspectives both in the field of educational practice and the theory of social activity. Social pedagogy, similarly to other areas (subdisciplines) of pedagogy, deals with the notion of upbringing in a certain aspect – in a certain problem inclination. It specializes in social and environmental conditionings of the upbringing process. It is the thread of the social context of upbringing what proves to be the crucial, basic and fundamental determinant of upbringing and, thus, decisive factor for human development. This notion was always present in the general pedagogical thought however, its organized and rationalized character surfaced only when the social pedagogy was distinguished as a separate, systematic area of pedagogy. It occurred in Poland only at the beginning of the 19th century. From the very beginning the creators and precursors of this subdiscipline pointed out its relatively wide range. It has been the notion of individual – social conditionings of human development, yet, social pedagogists were interested in human at every stage of their lives i.e. childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Another area of interest were the issues related to family as the most important “place” of human development and, in this respect, the issues connected with institutions undertaking various activities: help, care, support and animation. Finally, the scope of interest included issues related to the environment as the place where the upbringing process is supposed to realize and realizes. Since the very beginning of social pedagogy these have been the prominent threads for exploration. At the same time it ought to be stated that these threads have always been interwoven with various social-political conditions both with regards to their interpretation as well as possible and planned educational practice. Therefore social pedagogy and its findings must be always “read” in the context of social-political conditions which accompanied the creation of a given thought or realization of some educational practice. As these conditions have constantly been undergoing certain transformations one may clearly distinguish particular stages of development of social pedagogy. The stages reflect various approaches to exploring and describing the above-mentioned areas of this discipline. Following the assumptions regarding the chronology of social pedagogy development and the three distinguished stages of development, it seems worthwhile to study how the issues related to an individual, family and environment were shaped at these stages. The first stage when the social psychology was arising was mainly the time of Helena Radlińska’s activities as well as less popular and already forgotten Polish pedagogists – precursors of this discipline such as: Anna Chmielewska, Irena Jurgielewiczowa, Zofia Gulińska or Maria Korytowska. In that period social pedagogists mainly dealt with individuals, families and the functioning of environments in the context of educational activities aimed at arousing national identity and consciousness. However, their work did no focus on indicating the layers of threats and deficits in functioning of individuals, social groups or families but on the possibilities to stimulate their development and cultural life. Therefore social pedagogy of those times was not as strongly related to social work as it currently is but dealt mainly with educational work. The classic example of such approach in the research carried out in the social pedagogy of that time may be the early works by Helena Radlińska who undertook the narrow field of cultural-educational work targeted to all categories of people. The works described such issues as the organization of libraries, organizing extra-school education (H. Orsza, 1922, H. Orsza-Radlińska, 1925). It ought to be stated that this kind of work was regarded as public and educational work, whereas currently it exists under the name of social work. Frequently quoted works related to the issues of arising social pedagogy were also the works by Eustachy Nowicki e.g. “Extra-school education and its social-educational role in the contemporary Polish life” from 1923 or the works by Stefania Sempołowska, Jerzy Grodecki or Jadwiga Dziubińska. Such an approach and tendencies are clearly visible in a book from 1913 (a book which has been regarded by some pedagogists as the first synthetic presentation of social pedagogy). It is a group work entitled “Educational work – its tasks, methods and organization” (T. Bobrowski, Z. Daszyńska-Golińska, J. Dziubińska, Z. Gargasa, M. Heilperna, Z. Kruszewska, L. Krzywicki, M. Orsetti, H. Orsza, St. Posner, M. Stępkowski, T. Szydłowski, Wł. Weychert-Szymanowska, 1913). The problem of indicated and undertaken research areas and hence, the topics of works realized by the social pedagogists of that times changed immediately after regaining independence and before World War II. It was the time when the area of social pedagogists interests started to include the issues of social inequality, poverty and, subsequently, the possibility of helping (with regards to the practical character of social pedagogy). The research works undertaken by social pedagogists were clearly of diagnostic, practical and praxeological character. They were aimed at seeking the causes of these phenomena with simultaneous identification and exploration of certain environmental factors as their sources. A classic example of such a paper – created before the war – under the editorial management of H. Radlińska was the work entitled “Social causes of school successes and failures” from 1937 (H. Radlińska, 1937). Well known are also the pre-war works written by the students of H. Radlińska which revealed diagnostic character such as: “The harm of a child” by Maria Korytowska (1937) or “A child of Polish countryside” edited by M. Librachowa and published in Warsaw in 1934 (M. Librachowa, 1934). Worthwhile are also the works by Czesław Wroczyński from 1935 entitled “Care of an unmarried mother and struggle against abandoning infants in Warsaw” or the research papers by E. Hryniewicz, J. Ryngmanowa and J. Czarnecka which touched upon the problem of neglected urban and rural families and the situation of an urban and rural child – frequently an orphaned child. As it may be inferred, the issues of poverty, inefficient families, single-parent families remain current and valid also after the World War II. These phenomena where nothing but an outcome of various war events and became the main point of interest for researchers. Example works created in the circle of social pedagogists and dealing with these issues may be two books written in the closest scientific environment of Helena Radlińska – with her immense editorial impact. They are “Orphanage – scope and compensation” (H. Radlińska, J. Wojtyniak, 1964) and “Foster families in Łódź” (A. Majewska, 1948), both published immediately after the war. Following the chronological approach I adopted, the next years mark the beginning of a relative stagnation in the research undertaken in the field of social pedagogy. Especially the 50’s – the years of notably strong political indoctrination and the Marxist ideological offensive which involved building the so called socialist educational society – by definition free from socio-educational problems in public life. The creation and conduction of research in this period was also hindered due to organizational and institutional reasons. The effect of the mentioned policy was also the liquidation of the majority of social sciences including research facilities – institutes, departments and units. An interesting and characteristic description of the situation may be the statement given by Professor J. Auletner who described the period from the perspective of development of social policy and said that: “During the Stalinist years scientific cultivation of social policy was factually forbidden”. During the period of real socialism it becomes truly difficult to explore the science of social policy. The name became mainly the synonym of the current activity of the state and a manifestation of struggles aimed at maintaining the existing status quo. The state authorities clearly wanted to subdue the science of social activities of the state […]. During the real socialism neither the freedom for scientific criticism of the reality nor the freedom of research in the field of social sciences existed. It was impossible (yet deliberated) to carry out a review of poverty and other drastic social issues” (J. Auletner, 2000). The situation changes at the beginning of the 60’s (which marks the second stage of development of social pedagogy) when certain socio-political transformations – on the one hand abandoning the limitation of the Stalinist period (1953 – the death of Stalin and political thaw), on the other – reinforcement of the idea of socialist education in social sciences lead to resuming environmental research. It was simultaneously the period of revival of Polish social pedagogy with regards to its institutional dimension as well as its ideological self-determination (M. Cichosz, 2006, 2014). The issues of individuals, families and environments was at that time explored with regards to the functioning of educational environments and in the context of exploring the environmental conditionings of the upbringing process. Typical examples here may be the research by Helena Izdebska entitled “The functioning of a family and childcare tasks” (H. Izdebska, 1967) and “The causes of conflicts in a family” (H. Izdebska, 1975) or research conducted by Anna Przecławska on adolescents and their participation in culture: “Book, youth and cultural transformations” (A. Przecławska, 1967) or e.g. “Cultural diversity of adolescents against upbringing problems” (A. Przecławska, 1976). A very frequent notion undertaken at that time and remaining within the scope of the indicated areas were the issues connected with organization and use of free time. This may be observed through research by T. Wujek: “Homework and active leisure of a student” (T. Wujek, 1969). Another frequently explored area was the problem of looking after children mainly in the papers by Albin Kelm or Marian Balcerek. It is worthwhile that the research on individuals, families or environments were carried out as part of the current pedagogical concepts of that time like: parallel education, permanent education, lifelong learning or the education of adults, whereas, the places indicated as the areas of human social functioning in which the environmental education took place were: family, school, housing estate, workplace, social associations. It may be inferred that from a certain (ideological) perspective at that time we witnessed a kind of modeling of social reality as, on the one hand particular areas were diagnosed, on the other – a desired (expected) model was built (designed) (with respect to the pragmatic function of practical pedagogy). A group work entitled “Upbringing and environment” edited by B. Passini and T. Pilch (B. Passini, T. Pilch, 1979) published in 1979 was a perfect illustration of these research areas. It ought to be stated that in those years a certain model of social diagnosis proper for undertaken social-pedagogical research was reinforced (M. Deptuła, 2005). Example paper could be the work by I. Lepalczyk and J. Badura entitled: “Elements of pedagogical diagnostics” (I. Lepalczyk, J. Badura, 1987). Finally, the social turning point in the 80’s and 90’s brought new approaches to the research on individuals, families and environments which may be considered as the beginning of the third stage of the development of social pedagogy. Breaking off the idea of socialist education meant abandoning the specific approach to research on the educational environment previously carried out within a holistic system of socio-educational influences (A. Przecławska, w. Theiss, 1995). The issues which dominated in the 90’s and still dominate in social pedagogy with regards to the functioning of individuals, families and local environments have been the issues connected with social welfare and security as well as education of adults. Research papers related to such approach may be the work by Józefa Brągiel: “Upbringing in a single-parent family” from 1990; the work edited by Zofia Brańka “The subjects of care and upbringing” from 2002 or a previous paper written in 1998 by the same author in collaboration with Mirosław Szymański “Aggression and violence in modern world” published in 1999 as well as the work by Danuta Marzec “Childcare at the time of social transformations” from 1999 or numerous works by St. Kawula, A. Janke. Also a growing interest in social welfare and social work is visible in the papers by J. Brągiel and P. Sikora “Social work, multiplicity of perspectives, family – multiculturalism – education” from 2004, E. Kanwicz and A. Olubiński: “Social activity in social welfare at the threshold of 21st century” from 2004 or numerous works on this topic created by the circles gathered around the Social Pedagogy Faculty in Łódź under the management of E. Marynowicz-Hetka. Current researchers also undertake the issues related to childhood (B. Smolińska-Theiss, 2014, B. Matyjas, 2014) and the conditionings of the lives of seniors (A. Baranowska, E. Kościńska, 2013). Ultimately, among the presented, yet not exclusive, research areas related to particular activities undertaken in human life environment (individuals, families) and fulfilled within the field of caregiving, social welfare, adult education, socio-cultural animation or health education one may distinguish the following notions:  the functioning of extra-school education institutions, most frequently caregiving or providing help such as: orphanage, residential home, dormitory, community centre but also facilities aimed at animating culture like youth cultural centres, cultural centres, clubs etc.,  the functioning of school, the realization of its functions (especially educational care), fulfilling and conditioning roles of student/teacher, the functioning of peer groups, collaboration with other institutions,  the functioning (social conditionings) of family including various forms of families e.g. full families, single-parent families, separated families, families at risk (unemployment) and their functioning in the context of other institutions e.g. school,  social pathologies, the issues of violence and aggression, youth subcultures,  participation in culture, leisure time, the role of media,  the functioning of the seniors – animation of activities in this field,  various dimensions of social welfare, support, providing help, the conditionings of functioning of such jobs as the social welfare worker, culture animator, voluntary work. It might be concluded that the issues connected with individuals, families and environment have been the centre of interest of social pedagogy since the very beginning of this discipline. These were the planes on which social pedagogists most often identified and described social life – from the perspective of human participation. On the course of describing the lives of individuals, families and broader educational environments social pedagogists figured out and elaborated on particular methods and ways of diagnosing social life. Is it possible to determine any regularities or tendencies in this respect? Unquestionably, at the initial stage of existence of this discipline, aimed at stimulating national consciousness and subsequent popularization of cultural achievements through certain activities – social and educational work, social pedagogists built certain models of these undertakings which were focused on stimulating particular social activity and conscious participation in social life. The issues concerning social diagnosis, though not as significant as during other stages, served these purposes and hence were, to a certain extent, ideologically engaged. The situation changed significantly before and shortly after the World War II. Facing particular conditions of social life – increase in many unfavourable phenomena, social pedagogists attempted to diagnose and describe them. It seems to have been the period of clear shaping and consolidation of the accepted model of empirical research in this respect. The model was widely accepted as dominating and has been developed in Polish social pedagogy during the second and subsequent stages of developing of this discipline. Practical and praxeological character of social pedagogy became the main direction of this development. Consequently, social diagnosis realized and undertaken with regard to social pedagogy was associated with the idea of a holistic system of education and extra-school educational influences and related educational environments. Therefore, the more and more clearly emphasized goal of environmental research – forecasting, was associated with the idea of building holistic, uniform educational impacts. After the systemic transformation which occurred in Poland in the 90’s, i.e. the third stage of social pedagogy development, abandoning the previous ideological solutions, environmental research including diagnosis was reassociated with social life problems mainly regarding social welfare and security. Individuals, families and environment have been and still seem to be the subject of research in the field of social pedagogy in Poland. These research areas are structurally bound with its acquired paradigm – of a science describing transformations of social life and formulating a directive of practical conduct regarding these transformations. A question arouses about the development of social pedagogy as the one which charts the direction of transformations of practices within the undertaken research areas. If it may be considered as such, then it would be worthwhile to enquire about the directions of the accepted theoretical acknowledgments. On the one hand we may observe a relatively long tradition of specifically elaborated and developed concepts, on the other – there are still new challenges ahead. Observing the previous and current development of Polish social pedagogy it may be inferred that its achievements are not overextensive with regards to the described and acquired theoretical deliberations. Nevertheless, from the very beginning, it has generated certain, specific theoretical solutions attempting to describe and explain particular areas of social reality. Especially noteworthy is the first period of the existence of this discipline, the period of such social pedagogists like i.a. J.W. Dawid, A. Szycówna, I. Moszczeńska or Helena Radlińska. The variety of the reflections with typically philosophical background undertaken in their works (e.g. E. Abramowski) is stunning. Equally involving is the second stage of development of social pedagogy i.e. shortly after the World War II, when Polish social pedagogy did not fully break with the heritage of previous philosophical reflections (A. Kamiński, R. Wroczyński) yet was developed in the Marxist current. A question arouses whether the area of education and the projects of its functioning of that time were also specific with regards to theory (it seems to be the problem of the whole Socialist pedagogy realised in Poland at that time). The following years of development of this discipline, especially at the turn of 80’s and 90’s was the period of various social ideas existing in social pedagogy – the influences of various concepts and theories in this field. The extent to which they were creatively adapted and included in the current of specific interpretations still requires detailed analysis, yet remains clearly visible. Another important area is the field of confronting the theories with the existing and undertaken solutions in the world pedagogy. A. Radziewicz-Winnicki refers to the views of the representatives of European and world social thought: P. Bourdieu, U. Beck, J. Baudrillard, Z. Bauman and M. Foucault, and tries to identify possible connections and relationships between these ideas and social pedagogy: “the ideas undertaken by the mentioned sociologists undoubtedly account for a significant source of inspiration for practical reflection within social pedagogy. Therefore, it is worthwhile to suggest certain propositions of their application in the field of the mentioned subdiscipline of pedagogy” (Radziewicz-Winnicki 2008). The contemporary social pedagogy in Poland constantly faces numerous challenges. W. Theiss analysed the contemporary social pedagogy with regards to its deficiencies but also the challenges imposed by globalisation and wrote: “Modern social pedagogy focuses mainly on the narrow empirical research and narrow practical activity and neglects research in the field of theory functioning separately from the realms of the global (or globalising) world or pays insufficient attention to these problems. It leads to a certain self-marginalisation of our discipline which leaves us beyond the current of main socio-educational problems of modern times. In this respect, it seems worthwhile and necessary to carry out intensive conceptual and research work focused on e.g. the following issues:  metatheory of social pedagogy and its relationship with modern trends in social sciences;  the concepts of human and the world, the concepts of the hierarchy of values;  the theory of upbringing, the theory of socialization, the theory of educational environment;  a conceptual key of the modern reality; new terms and new meanings of classical concepts;  socio-educational activities with direct and indirect macro range e.g. balanced development and its programmes, global school, intercultural education, inclusive education, professional education of emigrants”. Considering the currently undertaken research in this field and the accepted theoretical perspectives it is possible to indicate specific and elaborated concepts. They fluctuate around structural spheres of social pedagogy on the axis: human – environment – environmental transformations. It accounts for an ontological sphere of the acknowledged concepts and theories. Below, I am enumerating the concepts which are most commonly discussed in social pedagogy with regards to the acquired and accepted model. Currently discussed theoretical perspectives (contexts) in social pedagogy and the concepts within. I. The context of social personal relationships  social participation, social presence;  social communication, interaction;  reciprocity. II. The context of social activities (the organization of environment)  institutionalisation;  modernization;  urbanization. III. The context of environment  space;  place;  locality. The socially conditioned process of human development is a process which constantly undergoes transformations. The pedagogical description of this process ought to include these transformations also at the stage of formulating directives of practical activities – the educational practice. It is a big challenge for social pedagogy to simultaneously do not undergo limitations imposed by current social policy and response to real social needs. It has been and remains a very important task for social pedagogy.

Consumption is an important concept in economics and many social sciences. The aim of the study is to compare consumption in European households in the years 2004–2020 and to identify groups of countries with similar consumption–expenditure structures. Statistical methods were used: trend analysis, cluster analysis. Between 2004 and 2019, the consumption expenditures of European households gradually increased. In all countries, spending on categories such as food, housing maintenance, and food and accommodation rose. Most countries also saw an increase in spending on other categories of consumer goods and services, although there were also countries where some types of spending decreased during the period under study. Our research grouped countries according to their consumption structure in 2004, 2019 and 2020. In Europe, several groups of countries can be distinguished according to their consumption structure. Similarities between EU countries’ consumption change through time. Ward’s clustering and k-means methods allowed to reduce a large number of countries to a few basic groups, which can be perceived as the subject and direction of further analysis.

The study of security, in all its aspects, traditionally faces a number of problems, from terminology and meaning, to definition and the corpus of knowledge. Only when we resolve these problems can we deliver a successful formulation of security science as an independent discipline. The “Security concept” is often subject to more scrutiny than the general ambit of security science, which would interpret this concept within its own framework. There remains a lack of any unique and comprehensive definition of Security concept, which tends to be viewed as an interaction with the security object. We, attempt to define it through two questions: Security for whom? And Security based on which values? The international reality at the beginning of the 21st century presented a challenge to the academic sector to redefine the dominant existing principles of the security concept. This meant the need for the state to move aside as the long-standing predominant security controller and thus for academics to observe security as a general prerequisite for the functioning of any system, be it a state, database, business, environment or citizen, etc. The field of ​​security is still dominantly studied within the context of some other academic discipline, principally social sciences, such as sociology and criminology. However, there is a growing need to study security in the context of technological sciences, bearing in mind the increasing significance of security of information systems, databases and so on. Research has shown that the security field already has sufficient categories (fields) that would constitute its unique “corpus of knowledge”, as an important prerequisite for qualifying security as an independent science. We also suggest that this corpus of knowledge can be extended to other disciplines to make security studies yet more comprehensive, and also demonstrate elasticity to adapt, as an independent scientific discipline, to the demands of change and new times. This need has been particularly pronounced in the decades that followed the Cold War, in the period of dynamic economic, political and technological globalization, where the security of individuals, social groups, business and institutional systems, has become a dominant aspect in the functioning of modern society. In that sense, the establishment of security science as an independent discipline is necessary not only for the development of a theoretical model, but also because of its wide practical application in modern, globalized world.

Part of the preparatory work for writing a generalizing history of the Kabardin-Balkaria is summing up the results of a scientific study of its key problems, which include the interpretation of the traditional system of socio-political or inter-social interactions in the Central Caucasus. In the previous publication, the formation of the historiographical tradition in the 18th – early 20th centuries was considered. The proposed article aims to continue the study of this topic using the material of Soviet and post-Soviet historiography. The material considered in the article shows that the construction of a generalized concept of the traditional system of inter-social interactions in the Central Caucasus is a complex problem that touches upon the fundamental issues of the study of regional history. The first of them is the question of the applicability of categories developed in other social sciences or on historical material from other eras and regions to the North Caucasian reality of the 16th – 18th centuries. In this case, individual elements and relationships are identified with the structure of the system as a whole. Inter-social interactions that unfold both in space and in time receive a static, exclusively spatial representation. The second question is related to the need to differentiate ethnic and socio-political nomenclature in the representation of the Central Caucasus as a space of inter-social interactions. Contemporary historiography explicitly or implicitly places the social interactions of the owners and societies of the region in an “interethnic” and / or “ethnopolitical” context. Historical concepts to a certain extent are divorced from the sources of data of the 16th – 18th centuries, in which ethnic communities – "peoples" are never the subjects of inter-social interactions. A generalized interpretation of the historical experience of inter-social interactions in the Central Caucasus is possible on the basis of combining a “narrative”, descriptive approach with a “supra-ethnic” representation of the region as a space with a complex natural and social landscape. The most stable general function of the traditional system of inter-social interactions is the maintenance of order that is understandable to all their participants and ensured the reproduction of each ethno-social unit that occupies its own natural-ecological niche.

A Review of: Stvilia, B., & Gibradze, L. (2017). Examining undergraduate students' priorities for academic library services and social media communication. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 43(3), 257-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2017.02.013 Abstract Objective – To examine how undergraduate students rate the importance of different categories of library services and library social media postings. Design – Online survey. Setting – Large research university in the United States. Subjects – 159 undergraduate students enrolled in 3 information technology classes. Methods – Participants were asked to rate the importance of different library service categories on a 7-point Likert scale. The library service categories were (1) access to information and computer resources, (2) study support services, (3) support for club meetings, and (4) Q&A services. Participants were also asked to rate the importance of nine different categories of library social media postings, also on a 7-point Likert scale. The categories of social media postings were (1) event, (2) resources, (3) community building, (4) operations updates, (5) study support, (6) Q&A, (7) survey, (8) staff, and (9) club. Students were also asked to identify which library services they currently use. Main Results – Validly submitted surveys totaled 104 (response rate 65%). Respondents rated access to information and computer resources (M=5.9) and study support services (M=5.9) as being of the highest importance, with no statistically significant difference being found between these ratings. Respondents rated Q&A services (mean not reported) and support for club meetings (M=4.8) as being of significantly lower importance than the baseline (access information and computer resources). In terms of service usage, using the library to study (87%) and to access information and computer resources (59%), were the top two most reportedly used services. Respondents rated social media postings relating to operations updates (M=5.6), study support (M=5.5) and events (M=5.4) as being of highest importance, with no significant difference between the ratings of these three categories. Respondents rated all other categories of social media postings (survey, M=4.7; staff, M=4.4; means for remaining categories not reported) as being of significantly less importance than the baseline (operations updates). For just over half the social media posting categories (5/9, 56%) importance rankings found in this study agree with engagement rankings the authors found in a previous study (Stvilia & Gibradze, 2014). Conclusion – The results of this study suggested frequency of use alone cannot be used to determine the value students place on a library’s services, as students may perceive equal value in services they use at different frequencies. The authors, therefore, argued there is a strong need to inexpensively predict users’ perceptions of service value without relying on usage metrics alone. Because a level of agreement was found between social media engagement (determined in the authors’ 2014 study) and importance rankings (found in this study), the authors proposed further research be done to determine whether and how an analysis of library social media engagement can be used as an inexpensive way to predict the perceived importance and value of a library’s services. While the authors recognized it may not be appropriate to generalize the results of this study to a wider student population, they suggested the findings may be applicable to similar groups of students (i.e., undergraduate information technology students).

Purpose of the study: The aim of the paper is to capture the proportion these benefits make in total costs of the company Categories of employee benefits included in accounts of companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in the sector of biotechnology is the subject of this paper. Methodology: Systematic literature review and critical analysis of accounts were used for the purpose of this article. Main findings: The analysis demonstrated that employee benefits play a significant part in the operations of companies within biotechnological sector in Poland. Use of relatively high benefits not only offers operational stability, future growth, better staff retention, lower stoppage through loss of personnel, but also better employee engagement and personal development. Applications of the study: The article highlights the importance of employee benefits within the biotechnological sector, which is characterised by deferred income from productionisation of research and its results. This results in better understanding of biotechnological companies’ operational model and its specificity. The results can be applied within other capital investment heavy sectors such as gaming or IT, which also generate high costs and expenditure due to its nature. Originality/Novelty of the study: The analysis of employee benefits presented in consolidated financial accounts has been identified as a very interesting research gap due to its complexity. Research studies of this subject in Poland are limited despite the importance of benefits to all employees. They are equally important to the enterprises wishing to deliver their objectives and strategies. The article calls for further research, analysis, findings and their implementation in various sectors as well as deeper studies of the subject.

Purpose: The ultimate goal of current open access (OA) initiatives is for library services to use OA resources. This study aimed to assess the infrastructure for OA scholarly information services by tabulating the number and proportion of OA articles in a literature database.Methods: We measured the absolute numbers and proportions of OA articles at different time points across various disciplines based on the Web of Science (WoS) database.Results: The number (proportion) of available OA articles between 2000 and 2021 in the WoS database was 12 million (32.4%). The number (proportion) of indexed OA articles in 1 year was 0.15 million (14.6%) in 2000 and 1.5 million (48.0%) in 2021. The proportion of OA by subject categories in the cumulative data was the highest in the multidisciplinary category (2000–2021, 79%; 2021, 89%), high in natural sciences (2000–2021, 21%–46%; 2021, 41%–62%) and health and medicine (2000–2021, 37%–40%; 2021, 52%–60%), and low in social sciences and others (2000–2021, 23%–32%; 2021, 36%–44%), engineering (2000–2021, 17%–33%; 2021, 31%–39%) and humanities and arts (2000–2021, 11%–22%; 2021, 28%–38%).Conclusion: Our study confirmed that increasingly many OA research papers have been published in the last 20 years, and the recent data show considerable promise for better services in the future. The proportions of OA articles differed among scholarly disciplines, and designing library services necessitates several considerations with regard to the customers’ demands, available OA resources, and strategic approaches to encourage the use of scholarly OA articles.

The article considers the features of the phenomenon of praise as a subject of research in various disciplines; the connection of praise with philosophy, psychology, sociology and linguistics is analyzed; such sections of psychology as pedagogical, social and management psychology and the influence of praise on them are considered in detail; the linguistic character of praise in German and Ukrainian is determined; the conclusion on the complex analysis of the phenomenon of praise in the field of linguistics, genealogy and linguistics of the text is made. At the current stage, language development and change are often the subject of interdisciplinary research. This also applies to praise. It was seen as a phenomenon of philosophy that regarded it as a direct projection of good and defined it as a natural ability to characterize the object of interest. Praise as a psychological phenomenon is defined in the form of information about the opportuneness of the act and positive assessment. Praise embodies an important element of psychology – motivation, which appears as an incentive element to action. We consider praise from a linguistic point of view in the form of sincere approval, expression of positive attitude to the addressee, his actions, deeds, personal characteristics (thoughts, qualities), objects and things belonging to the interests or activities of the addressee so as to psychologically and emotionally affect the addressee and its stimulation to further activity in this direction. The study of a complex and multifaceted phenomenon of praise requires taking into consideration different approaches to its comprehension. Features of the cognitive processes of human consciousness have become the subject of study of humanities, including philosophy, psychology and sociology. Philosophy appears here with a combination of questions about good and evil, the relationship between man and the world, which have served as topics for discussion since ancient times. Psychology considers the features and patterns of human behavior, thinking, states and qualities of man. The proposed research considers praise as primarily a linguistic concept in the framework of pragmalinguistics and text linguistics. Each of these disciplines expands and enriches research and in general represents a single set of sciences. For this reason, the need for a brief analysis of the problem of praise in terms of liberal sciences has arisen. The connection between philosophy and the concept of praise is easy to trace. The implementation of praise requires, first of all, an object that should be characterized in accordance with the general evaluative ethical categories of “good” and “evil”. Things, concepts, actions, which are classified as “good”, deserve praise. What belongs to the category of “good” and what to “evil”, the definition of these concepts, their characteristics – is one of the issues of philosophy, which has caused debate since ancient times. To bring about praise as a speech action, certain mental processes of a person, which help them to know and characterize the object of attention, are important. These include: feelings, perception, thinking, imagination, and so on. The formation of praise is based on significant psycho-emotional principles inherent in man. An important element of praise is the stimulus. Motivation in praise is one of the incentive tools of psychology. The way of implementation of praise depends on a person’s psychological features. It helps in the field of education and upbringing, forms interpersonal relationships and helps to improve the results of work in public life. Alongside with research in the fields of philosophy and psychology, praise is also studied by linguistics. The linguistic nature of praise forms the basis of the proposed research, because the object of study is embodied primarily through specific language tools. Linguistic explorations of praise can be traced within studies of many native and foreign linguists, who have examined it in various aspects and areas of implementation. The purpose of the proposed article is a multifaceted approach and analysis of praise, in order to determine the research paradigm. Accordingly, the objectives of the article were as follows: to consider praise as a subject of various disciplines; analyze the relationship of praise with philosophy, psychology, sociology and pragmatics; determine the significance of the theory of speech acts, speech genres and text linguistics for the studied phenomenon. The following methods were used in the study: “analysis through synthesis” method, which contributed to the knowledge and awareness of the phenomenon of praise, the variety of its manifestations in different sciences; descriptive analysis made it possible to describe praise in each of the considered disciplines. As a result of the analysis, the following conclusions can be drawn: for the proposed research, it is interesting to study the praise in terms of linguistics and pragmatics. An analysis of previous studies of this phenomenon in other languages has led to the conclusion that praise can be expressed by a speech act, or a speech genre, or even be represented by a type of text. Consequently, such versatility of praise determines its complex, multifaceted analysis using two approaches – linguo-pragmatic and rhetorical-stylistic.

Objective. The objective of the article is to substantiate the communicative essence and semantic features and characteristics of political discourse as a subject of linguistic and political research. Methods. The main scientific results are obtained using a set of general scientific and special research methods, such as: analysis, systematization and generalization of scientific literature, induction, deduction (to identify approaches to understand the essence of political discourse and its characteristics). Results. Discourse is one of the most important communicative categories that reflects speech interaction. It is the subject of study of various sciences, such as sociology, political science, philosophy and others. Analytical review of research on discourse, in particular political, shows that the representation of this scientific topic has its own tradition, marked by the undoubted achievements of researchers who consider political discourse as a type of communicative activity, interactive phenomenon, speech flow having various forms of expression (oral, written, paralingual), takes place within a specific channel of communication, is governed by the strategies and tactics of the participants; synthesis of cognitive, linguistic and extralinguistic (social, mental, psychological, etc.) factors that are determined by a specific range of “life forms”. It is determined that political discourse is a complex mental-communicative activity, which is a set of process and result and includes both non-lingual and linguistic aspects and is focused on the transfer of political information rather than on perlocutionary influence on the electorate (persuasion motivation to action) through the implementation of appropriate strategies and tactics. As a discursive practice, political discourse is characterized by a number of specific features (institutionality, informativeness, semantic uncertainty, remoteness and authoritarianism, theatricality, dynamism), among which manipulativeness has one of the leading roles. The author attempts to distinguish different types of political discourse according to the content characteristics and the addressee.

This Thematic Issue seeks to explore critical perspectives of an international nature on social innovation (SI), social enterprise (SE) and/or social solidarity economy (SSE). The aim is to examine the grand narrative, explore the ontological assumptions of the field, challenge the normative and present alternatives that draw attention to political economy, critical theory and critical management studies.Critical perspectives emerged in social innovation (SI) literature as a concerted effort sometime in 2008. A few voices sounded from the edges of the field much earlier. Ash Amin, Professor of Geography at Durham University, inspected the new favourite of public policy way back in 2002, discarded it as a “a poor substitute for a welfare state” and never returned to the subject. There were heated debates that challenged the grand narrative of SI at the International Social Innovation Research Conferences (ISIRC) (once called the Social Enterprise Research Conference before becoming ISIRC with the involvement of the social innovation theme from Skoll Centre). The Voluntary Sector Studies Network (VSSN) conferences picked away at the promise of unlimited performance and achievement of the upstart SE in a mature voluntary and charity network (Aiken, 2002, 2006, 2007; Grenier, 2009; Pharaoh, Scott & Fisher, 2004). Still, on the whole, the literature in the last twenty years has been overwhelmingly interested in promoting social enterprise (SE) and SI as (a) an inherently good thing, (b) a solution to all problems and (c) a politically neutral complement to neo-liberal economics globally.Through 2005-2008, a handful of academics were beginning to make concerted inroads from within the SE field that challenged the superpowers gifted to the SE/SI rhetoric. First through conference presentations, in particular in 2006, a 1-day seminar at Manchester Metropolitan University, ‘Critical Perspectives on Social Enterprise’, followed by a Special Issue in International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research (Bull, 2008). Later individual publications developed the critical themes in different directions (Seanor et al., 2013; Curtis, 2008; Curtis et al., 2010; Grant, 2008; Scott-Cato et al., 2008; Scott & Hillier, 2010; Jones et al., 2008a, Betta et al., 2010; Bull & Ridley-Duff, 2019; Ridley-Duff & Bull, 2021), each skirting around the issue of critical theory and focussing on finding the ‘social’ in SE, but not addressing critical theory head-on.Then at the 2010 Skoll Centre Research Colloquium on Social Entrepreneurship at the Said Business School, Oxford, Pascal Dey of University Applied Science, Northwestern, Switzerland burst on to the scene, wowing the gathered crowd with the lucidity of his paper (Dey, 2010), on the symbolic violence in social entrepreneurship discourse. Critical theory had come of age, moving away from the functional critiques (SEs don’t do what they claim) and territorial debates (SEs are businesses in disguise or charities do this anyway) to a more theoretically informed investigation, deliberately working from and with critical theory. Steyaert and Dey (2010) followed this up, in the first edition of the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, with a mature call to keep social enterprise research ‘dangerous’.Since then, critical perspectives on SI have widened and diversified with critical perspectives tracks in EMES International Research Network, ISIRC and other SI related conferences as well as an increasing number of PhD and early career researchers adopting a critical lens in studying SI’. Whilst ‘ordinary’ critical thinking might be described as an attitude of being disposed to consider in a thoughtful way the problems and subjects that come within the range of one's experiences (Glaser 1941). However, the critical perspectives we are seeking to develop in this Thematic Issue are best described by Horkheimer (1982), whereby we question the facts which our senses present to us as socially performed approaches to understanding in the social sciences. We should start with an understanding of a "social" experience itself as always fashioned by ideas that are in the researchers themselves. The project of a critical perspective is also “to liberate human beings from the circumstances that enslave them” (Horkheimer 1982, p244), not merely to describe the functions of those circumstances.Until the late nineteenth century, SI was understood to be subversive of the social order (Sargant, 1858), but in the French milieu was a ‘happy innovation’ of social progress (Comte 1841). What seems to have occurred in the research and publications in critical perspectives on social innovation over the last decade is as threefold engagement with epistemological issues, a drawing on theoretical insights from popular critical theory thinkers and challenges to normative methodological strategies in research. However, there seems to be a dearth of challenges to ontological assumptions (Hu 2018, Hu et al. 2019). By epistemological questions, we mean the question ‘what is the ‘social’ in social enterprise?’, considering (as the rest of this journal does) social is not just a modifier of innovation, but innovation and enterprise as a modifier of the social (Arthur et al., 2006, Bull & Ridley-Duff, 2019). In terms of engagement with critical theorists and challenges to normative research, there is research, for example, on Bourdieu (Teasdale et al., 2012); Giddens (Nicholls & Cho, 2006); Foucault (Curtis, 2007); Polanyi (Bull & Ridley-Duff, 2019; Roy & Grant, 2020; Thompson et al., 2020) and Ostrom (Ridley-Duff & Bull, 2021; Peredo et al., 2020) that offers avenues for development. Likewise, a convergence on the notion of SI as social bricolage (Di Domenico et al., 2010) represents a post-modern turn rather than a critical turn that could offer new avenues of exploration. In methodological terms, more social constructivist/revisionist work is needed too, for example, Froggett and Chamberlayne (2004). There are other critical perspectives that have a few researchers labouring in small groups. In political economy, there are Marxist, green and communitarian perspectives (Yıldırım & Tuncalp, 2016; Scott-Cato, 2008; Scott & Hillier, 2010; Ridley-Duff, 2007). There is a small feminist literature exploring immaterial and affective labour (Jones et al., 2008b; Teasdale et al., 2011), and some in queer theory- exploring transgressions and deviance, such as Grenier (2010) and Dey and Teasdale (2013). There are even fewer working in the post-colonialist space, including Green Nyoni (2016) and Watkins (2017).This Thematic Issue seeks to revisit, review and revivify the emancipatory and critical project proposed by the founder of this journal, Benoît Godin. To this end, this Thematic Issue of NOvation invited submissions with a particular focus on the critical perspectives on social innovation, social enterprise and the social solidarity economy (SSE), to promote new and emerging perspectives.The five articles presented in this Thematic Issue explore critical perspectives on SI, SE & SSE. The first paper by the Guest Editors themselves, Curtis, Bull and Nowak, outlines the rising tide of criticality in SI research. They present three waves of research in the field to date. The first wave of criticality in SI/SE research they present outlines critiques of the ‘social’ in social enterprise research, that sought to challenge the pro-business and celebrity-like status given to SE. The second wave highlights a post structuralist shift where research challenged the theoretical underpinnings of SI/SE research. The third wave they suggest constitutes a dangerous threat to the left’s political appreciation of this movement. Where wave two sought to open and welcome opinions that challenged the ontology and epistemological foundations of thought, the third wave has the potential for right-wing co-option. They therefore call for a more forensic conceptualisation on what is ‘good’, ‘ethical’ and ‘social’ about SI/SE, with this threat to the cultural hegemony, subverting and changing intellectual emancipation of the field. The second paper by Pel, Wittmayer, Avelino and Bauler picks up on critical issues by detailing the intrinsic and pervasive paradoxes of transformative SI (TSI) and offering researchers concrete strategies to account for them. The authors identify three core paradoxes of social innovation: system reproduction, temporality and reality construction. System reproduction is encountered where SI both challenges and reproduces the existing social order. The paradox of time draws attention to how the same SI can be considered new and old – varying across different points in time and contexts. Reality construction paradoxes occur as SI exists both as concrete activity and as a projection/interpretation, with researchers engaged in shaping and co-producing SI phenomena. Blending their extensive research experience and empirical examples from the literature the authors demonstrate how these paradoxes are integral to TSI phenomena and point to how methodological clarity is necessary to properly understand them. This leads to suggestions of clear research strategies that will support SI researchers in navigating each of these paradoxes.The third paper from Sardo, Callegari and Misganaw examines the ‘social’ in current social innovation and entrepreneurship studies and how it has been appropriated. Following their literature review of 18 leading innovation and entrepreneurship journals, they identify four categories: the disciplinary and integrationist approaches are where the social is integrated in existing dominant framework and discourse; the separationist approach is a critique of self-interest and provides ideas of altruism, lifestyle and democracy dimensions considering the context specific nature of the ‘social’; finally, the essentialist approach they discuss as arguments for the social nature of innovation and entrepreneurship to be integrated into the mainstream, bringing ecosystems and the socially constructed nature of innovation and entrepreneurship to the fore. They call for a more substantial integration of the social dimension in critical studies yet warn that tensions on extending into separationist and essentialist avenues cannot be reconciled with existing linear developments.The fourth paper from Curtis presents a critical realist and systems analysis approach, using Checkland’s soft systems methodology to empirical research. The paper uses evidence from a research study of community policing and the adoption of a specifically designed handbook to assist social innovators to implement locally identified solutions and practices (context mechanism outcome chains) that makes the case that SI is more than social bricolage and not a mysterious craft of innovation, but instead a systematic and replicable process.The final and fifth paper from Ergun and Begum explores the nexus between SI and the environment. Their paper challenges the narrative of United Nations Development Programmes through an eco-critical discourse analysis (ECDA) lens of fourteen UN publications. They suggest the dominance of an anthropocentric perspective, where neoliberalism resides is commonplace in these publications. They state it is not until we change to an ecocentric discourse that we will align at one with nature and redress the socio-economic problems of the world.We hope this Thematic Issue raises some interest and some thought-provoking conversations in the future. Many thanks to the reviewers, the authors and above all the editors of NOvation, for trusting us with this Thematic Issue! We hope scholars enjoy the edition as much as we have in bringing this together.

Abstract Objective – The investigators hoped to gain an understanding of the extent to which local public libraries are used by their visitors as meeting places, and in what ways. Furthermore, they sought to determine whether certain demographic variables correlate with variations in these ways of using the library. Finally, they were looking for evidence of a relationship between the degree of the subjects’ general community involvement on the one hand, and their participation in various types of meetings in the library on the other. Design – Questionnaire-based telephone survey. Setting – Oslo, Norway. Subjects – 750 adult residents (eighteen years or older) from 3 of Oslo’s 15 boroughs. Methods – The researchers selected these boroughs (not identified in this article and referred to, unusually, as “townships”) because they judged them to represent three demographically varying types of urban community. In March of 2006, a professional survey organization drew numbers at random from a database of telephone numbers in each borough, continuing until it had reached the desired number of 250 actual survey respondents, including cell phone users, for each borough. It weighted the sample according to gender and age, and administered the telephone interviews on the basis of a questionnaire which the researchers had designed to yield quantitative data for ten independent, and seven dependent, variables. Interviewers asked the respondents to answer questions on the basis of their entire recollected personal history of public library use, rather than during a specific defined period. Six of the independent variables were demographic: borough of residence, occupational category, age category, educational level, cultural/linguistic background (dichotomous: either non-Norwegian or Norwegian), and household income category. The other four were: level of participation in local activities, degree of involvement in community improvement activities, degree to which a subject trusted various community institutions, and frequency of local library use. “Meeting intensity,” or the number of different meeting types for which a given subject could remember ever having used the library, was one dependent variable. The others were participation/non-participation in each of the six defined meeting types. The researchers employed hierarchical multiple regression analyses for determining degrees of correlation. Main Results – “Meeting intensity” correlated significantly and positively not only with frequency of library use in general, but also with the number of local activities participated in and level of involvement in community improvement activities, as well as with non-Norwegian cultural/linguistic background. It correlated significantly and negatively with household income. The investigators report no significant relationship of meeting intensity with occupational or age category, or with level of education. Participation in certain of the defined meeting types did correlate significantly with certain independent variables. Respondents tend to turn to the local public library more for “public sphere” meetings as they grow older. Participation in this kind of meeting is likewise more common among those with a higher level of community involvement and engagement, but also among the lower-income respondents. High-intensive “joint activities” meetings with friends, acquaintances, colleagues or classmates are especially popular among adults in the lower age categories, as well as among respondents with a lower level of education and with a lower household income. “Virtual” meetings (via library Internet use), also defined as a high-intensive meeting type, are especially popular with the occupational categories “job seeker” and “homemaker,” as well as with the younger respondents and with those who have a lower household income. Use of the local public library for both the “virtual” and the “joint-activities” types of meetings is also considerably more common among those with a non-Norwegian cultural/linguistic background. Frequency of library use in general was not related to participation in either of these two types of meetings at the library, but it was related to library use for the more low-intensive meeting types (chance meetings and encounters, library as rendezvous point for joint activities elsewhere), as well as to what the investigators term using the library as a “metameeting place,” i.e., a place for finding “information about other arenas and activities” in the local community. Conclusion – The local public library seems to serve, for many of its patrons, an important function as venue for meetings of various kinds. In general, using it for meeting purposes appears to be something that appeals more to younger than to older adults, more to those in the lower than to those in the higher income categories, and more to those with an immigrant than to those with an indigenous background. The perhaps even less expected finding that use of the library for a relatively intensive, instrumental kind of meeting activity correlates significantly with a lower level of education would particularly suggest a need for further research. Noteworthy, as well, is the apparent fact that those who make use of the local public library as a venue for relatively intensive meeting activity, whether physical or virtual, tend to come to the library expressly for that purpose, and visit the library less often for other reasons than do other library users. The urban districts in which respondents resided were in fact not internally homogeneous enough, nor socio-economically distinct enough from one another, to yield correlations of practical evidentiary value. It was the researchers’ working assumption that their three independent variables of community engagement – i.e., level of participation in local activities, degree of involvement in community improvement activities, and degree to which one trusts community institutions – can be taken together to represent the amount of a respondent’s “social capital.” They detected, in general, a positive correlation between the extent of such “social capital” and the use of the library as a meeting place. Neither the strength nor the direction of this relationship was clear, however, from the results of this study: both will have to be explored through further research. “Does the library contribute to generating social capital,” they ask, “or is the use of the library as a meeting place a result of pre-existing social capital?” (p. 25) They were hoping at least to discover whether the library, specifically in its role as a low-intensive and “public sphere” meeting place, contributes to the generation of “bridging” social capital between citizens of differing cultural backgrounds, with differing values, viewpoints, and interests. Though their findings did not justify this conclusion, and Skøtt’s (2005) study even contradicts it, the researchers nevertheless express their confidence that, while not a genuine “third place” in the sense intended by Oldenburg (1999), “the library as a meeting place plays a substantial role in equalizing the possibilities of being an active citizen across social and economic differences” (p. 25). But however that may be, they are in any case convinced that their questionnaire and categorization scheme for meeting types have now shown their value, and that the grouping of types into “low-intensive” versus “high-intensive” appears to be fruitful. They do concede that their approach still requires more thorough and detailed examination, and that their survey instrument must be further refined and developed.

This story is about the twentieth-century ethnobotanist, Richard Evans Schultes (1915–2001), and his research on hallucinogenic plants. Ethnobotany can contribute directly to science and technology studies in that the discipline makes cultural ways of knowing its scientific subject. Ethnobotanists must learn about plants through people, and are not able to conceal their interactions with indigenous informants and other ethnobotanists. I focus on an ‘enigma’ that Schultes presented, concerning the peculiar ability of indigenous Amazonians to distinguish between local varieties of vine that he was unable to tell apart, notably those used to prepare the hallucinogenic beverage ayahuasca. The enigma describes a complicated and irresolvable question thrown up at the uneasy intersection between different ways of knowing about the world, and shows how modern scientific travellers might navigate – or fail to navigate – the uncertain passage between them. Together with Schultes’s accounts of his own non-ordinary states of consciousness elicited by ayahuasca, and his writings on the Victorian botanist Richard Spruce, I chart an epistemological gulf between Schultes’s modern scientific cosmology and that of his Amazonian informants. In describing his inability to learn about the ayahuasca varieties from Amazonians, Schultes’s enigma traces the very limits of the ethnobotanical discipline and reveals the fragility of the processes by which scientific naturalists might impose categories such as ‘nature’ and ‘culture’.

Objective – To determine how content-enriched catalogue records impact the circulation rates of print resources in four subject areas, and to investigate how this additional metadata influences OPAC searching and item retrieval. Design – Analysis of circulation data, bibliographic records, and OPAC search logs. Setting – A library at a four-year undergraduate residential college in the North-eastern United States. Subjects – Bibliographic records for 88,538 titles; data from 7,782 circulation transactions; and 130 OPAC search strings and related circulation data. Methods – In the first part of the study, bibliographic records for print items published since 1990 were extracted from the library’s integrated library system (ILS) in the following Library of Congress (LC) classes: D, E, F, H, J, L, P, Q, R, S, and T. It is assumed that electronic books were excluded from this study because their usage is not tracked in the ILS. These LC classes were chosen to correspond to the subject areas targeted by the researchers for comparison – “history, social sciences, language and literature, and science and technology” (p. 416). The data file included the publication date of the title, as well as values for the MARC fields identified by the researchers as containing content-enriched data. These fields were MARC 505 (an item’s table of contents or list of works included), MARC 520 (summaries or annotations), and MARC 856 (URL to electronic location of related material or electronic copy) (p. 416; Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office, 2003, 2008a, 2008b). The authors analyzed records for 88,538 titles and determined the total number of records containing each of the MARC fields either singly or in combination. Data relating to circulation transactions for items located in these LC classes from January to May 2009 was also identified. Like the bibliographic records, circulation data was pulled for print items only. The researchers identified 7,782 circulation transactions that met the study criteria for the period in question. In the second part of the study, circulation data for September 22, 2009 was obtained and sorted into the four subject categories identified in Part I of the study. The authors indicate that this date was chosen at random, but do not specify how. Researchers compared the records of the 133 titles borrowed that day from the LC classes studied to the OPAC search logs from September 16-22, 2009 to determine which searches led to the circulation of these items. The authors felt that searches resulting in checkouts on the day in question may have begun earlier in the week. The searches that led to borrowing were recorded and categorized as keyword, title, author, or other searches. If a user entered a title or author name into the keyword field, these were classed as known item searches in the appropriate categories. The authors identified and analyzed 130 searches relating to circulated items. Main Results – In the first part of the study, the number of catalogue records that contained MARC 505, 520, and/or 856 fields significantly increased for titles published between 1990 and 2007, with a slight decrease in 2008. MARC 505 was the most common content- enriched field until 2000, after which the presence of MARC 856 grew significantly. The MARC 520 field was used least often, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about its impact on circulation. The incidence of enhanced records was very low among older books in the study. Only 14.3% of items published between 1990 and 1994, and 19.3% of items published between 1995 and 1999, had records that contained MARC 505, 520, or 856 fields. In contrast, the percentage of enhanced records was very high (80.9%) for items published between 2005 and 2008. The authors acknowledged that these stark imbalances created skewed comparison data for items published in these date ranges. As such, they suggested that the data for titles published between 2000 and 2004 offered the most balanced comparison because the numbers of enhanced and non-enhanced records were almost equal. The overall circulation of items with enhanced records published between 2000 and 2004 was 2.9% higher than for items with non-enhanced records, constituting a relative percentage difference of 30.7%. The relative percentage difference in this period was higher for books in science and technology (36.9%), followed by history (34%), language and literature (30.6%), and social sciences (25.7%). Enhanced records also had a positive impact on circulation for items published between 1990 and 2000 over their non-enhanced counterparts; however, this positive growth levelled off for items published between 2005 and 2008, with almost equal circulation rates between items with enhanced and non-enhanced records during this period. The impact of the three MARC fields was examined, and the presence of the MARC 505 field was most associated with increased circulation rates, in part because it was the most commonly used field of the three for the period in question. The number of records with MARC 520 and 856 fields was not sufficient to draw firm conclusions about their impact on circulation. While not the focus of the study, the circulation data also suggested a preference for current titles among all four subject areas, most significantly among the social sciences and science and technology. The second part of the study found that keyword searching was the most common strategy employed by patrons, with 49.6% of the 130 searches examined falling into this category. Keyword searches most commonly led to the borrowing of items from the history LC classes, while title searches were most common in science and technology. Known item searches (title or author) accounted for 45.9% of the overall searches analyzed. However, in most cases, the search terms used that led to a title circulating were found in the title and subject fields, rather than in a content-enriched MARC field. The researchers suggested that this may be due to the appearance of search results in the OPAC (brief rather than full record) and the way relevancy sorting was calculated, as contents notes were not given a high weighting in the OPAC’s formula. Conclusion – The study found that enhanced catalogue records led to higher circulation rates in the four subject areas studied. The increased proportion of content-enriched records in the overall catalogue in recent years suggested that their value had been recognized by the library. The limited role these enhanced fields played in the September 22, 2009 searches suggested that further work on improving how this information is displayed to users in the OPAC and sorted is needed. The researchers identified areas for future research including the role of the publication date and the impact of improvements to the display of content fields in the OPAC on the circulation of items with content-enriched records.

In some societies, religion itself is a complex subject and then creating its content in the media is no less of a challenge. Especially in a society like Pakistan where people are more sensitive in the name of religion and what is being said on TV soon spreads like wildfire on social media. The study looked at the extent to which Pakistani TV channels believe in commercialism and how far they can go for this purpose. To what extent has the aspect of commodification been embedded in Pakistani TV channels? One of the purposes of this research is to obtain and rate advertisements for the content produced and presented for TV. The questions are very serious and two different approaches have been adopted in the research method to find the answers. On the one hand, the survey sought the opinion of male and female students who were equally divided into undergraduate and graduate categories. On the other hand, in the Islamic and Hijri month of Ramadan 2019, the content of AREY Digital and Geo TV's Sehri and Iftar transmissions were compared. Numerical method was adopted for. In the majority opinion, the religious qualifications of the anchors of religious programs or their grasp on religious subjects is not much appreciated? In addition, the analysis of the material revealed that commercial advertisements run during religious shows on Pakistani TV channels, but at the same time segments are also produced on a commercial basis. The main purpose of these segments, which are based on the title of religion, is to promote products.

The object of the study is social relations, the regulation of which is carried out by establishing a legal structure. The subject of the research is the legal concepts of legal science, which allow designing and using cybernetic categories of modeling legal situations and phenomena in the legal field. The concept of legal construction is the result of applying a certain cybernetic method of cognition of law. One of the methods related to the tools of this method is the method of modeling. In other words, a legal construction is a model obtained as a result of applying a cybernetic modeling method to a public relation (or rather, to the method of legal regulation of this type of public relations). Among the methodological problems of the modern general theory of law, the problem of legal discourse stands out, i.e. the practical language spoken by law (the language of legal constructions), and the theoretical language in which they talk about law (the language of legal concepts). On the other hand, modern law-making activity requires the use of a variety of methods of legal regulation, the improvement of legal technology, allowing the best way to express the will of the legislator, contributing to the simplification and acceleration of the implementation and application of law. Such legal means include legal constructions. The paper substantiates the approach according to which the concept of legal construction is the result of applying a certain cybernetic method of cognition of law.

Purpose Linking libraries and Wikipedia can significantly improve the quality of services provided by these two major silos of knowledge. Such linkage would enrich the quality of Wikipedia articles and at the same time increase the visibility of library resources. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to describe the design and development of a software system for automatic mapping of FAST subject headings, used to index library materials, to their corresponding articles in Wikipedia. Design/methodology/approach The proposed system works by first detecting all the candidate Wikipedia concepts (articles) occurring in the titles of the books and other library materials which are indexed with a given FAST subject heading. This is then followed by training and deploying a machine learning (ML) algorithm designed to automatically identify those concepts that correspond to the FAST heading. In specific, the ML algorithm used is a binary classifier which classifies the candidate concepts into either “corresponding” or “non-corresponding” categories. The classifier is trained to learn the characteristics of those candidates which have the highest probability of belonging to the “corresponding” category based on a set of 14 positional, statistical, and semantic features. Findings The authors have assessed the performance of the developed system using standard information retrieval measures of precision, recall, and F-score on a data set containing 170 FAST subject headings manually mapped to their corresponding Wikipedia articles. The evaluation results show that the developed system is capable of achieving F-scores as high as 0.65 and 0.99 in the corresponding and non-corresponding categories, respectively. Research limitations/implications The size of the data set used to evaluate the performance of the system is rather small. However, the authors believe that the developed data set is large enough to demonstrate the feasibility and scalability of the proposed approach. Practical implications The sheer size of English Wikipedia makes the manual mapping of Wikipedia articles to library subject headings a very labor-intensive and time-consuming task. Therefore, the aim is to reduce the cost of such mapping and integration. Social implications The proposed mapping paves the way for connecting libraries and Wikipedia as two major silos of knowledge, and enables the bi-directional movement of users between the two. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current work is the first attempt at automatic mapping of Wikipedia to a library-controlled vocabulary.

I examine practices of modern census making with a specific focus on Canadian censuses of population from 1911-1951. My analysis builds on the work of two recent and related streams of research in the social sciences. One draws from Foucault's writings on biopower and post-Foucauldian governmentality studies. It examines the census as a political technology that produces a specific knowledge or political arithmetic (statistics) of the population, so that its forces and strengths can be acted upon by various state authorities. The census is thus understood as a field for the administration of the state. The other focuses on how censuses are socially constructed, on the ‘making’ of censuses as opposed to the ‘taking’ of censuses and the use of census data as ‘evidence’. These studies document how the interests and political influence of various actors shape census making. The census is thus understood as a particular way of defining, collecting and organising social observations about individuals and not a simple reflection of an empirically existing reality. While the two streams of research have usefully challenged the facticity of census data, they have tended to reinforce a division between the real and the constructed. For if census data is not ‘real’ but a particular construction then what exactly does it represent? I contend that censuses are part of myriad identification practices that have come to produce subjects who are able to recognise and identify themselves in relation to the categories constructed and circulated by the census. It is through processes of double identification (state-citizen) that census categories come into existence, become facts and can then in turn not only be measured, analysed and assembled (objectification) but also be identified with (subjectification). The presence of such double identification makes an ostensible division between facticity and representation artificial.

The article deals with the problem of national security in the contemporary world which is greatly influenced by the process of globalization and digitalization. The paper highlights the role of national security in modern state building. The following issue has been of great interest to many outstanding scientists worldwide especially since the beginning of the XXI century. However, the subject matter of national security in the system of public administration has not been clearly defined yet. Therefore, the paper analyzes the approaches to define national security and points out its distinctive features. Moreover, it emphasizes the fact that at the level of national, regional and global relations the concept of national security is often associated with security strategies. Thus, the article puts emphasis on the predominant characteristics that help to distinguish between these two concepts. In addition, the research clarifies the characteristic features of national security as well as state security. Security, like many other categories of social sciences, does not have a conclusive definition. What is more, the category of security has an interdisciplinary significance. Therefore, scientists define it in accordance with the subject matter and the specifics of cognition and research. Nevertheless, many outstanding scholars view security as an anthropocentric category related to man’s socialessence and value. Accordingly, security presupposes having freedom from the risk, danger and the threat of change to the worse. Most scientists agree that security is a constituent of every aspect of human life. Consequently, security issues consideration is of great significance. All in all, nowadays it is greatly important to achieve a state of security as our globalized society frequently leads to different challenges and dangers. The results of the research contribute to better understanding of the issue and make it possible to introduce effective mechanisms of public administration in the field of national security.

Buscando destacar o momento oportuno à compreensão do tema, este trabalho visa apresentar um mapeamento da produção científica no domínio da Indústria Criativa, através de uma proposta de mineração de textos científicos na base de dados Scopus, fundamentada em métodos bibliométricos. Para o desenvolvimento teórico da pesquisa, são utilizados autores como Howkins (2002), Deheinzelin (2011), Reis (2012), Prodanov e Freitas (2013), Hauenstein (2008), Vanti (2006), M. Hayashi, Faria e C. Hayashi (2013). Ao fim do estudo, destaca-se que, através dos critérios estabelecidos, o levantamento realizado apontou 933 publicações na área de Indústria Criativa. Ressalta-se, ainda, outros resultados quantitativos, analisados seguindo categorias com maior número de publicações, como: ano (2013), periódico (International Journal of Cultural Policy), autor (C. Gibson), instituição de ensino (Queensland University), país (Reino Unido) e área de assunto (Ciências Sociais).AbstractSeeking to highlight the appropriate time to understand the issue, this paper presents a mapping of scientific production in the field of Creative Industries, through a proposed mining of scientific texts in the Scopus database, based on bibliometric methods. For the theoretical development of research, authors like Howkins (2002), Deheinzelin (2011), Reis (2012), Prodanov and Freitas (2013), Hauenstein (2008), Vanti (2006), M. Hayashi, Faria and C. Hayashi (2013) are used. At the end of the study, it is emphasized that through the established criteria, the survey showed 933 publications in the area of Creative Industries. It is noteworthy also other quantitative results are as the following categories with the highest number of publications: year (2013), journal (International Journal of Cultural Policy), author (C. Gibson), School (Queensland University), country (UK) and subject area (Social Sciences).KeywordsCreative Industry. Bibliometrics. Scopus.

From the EditorsHuseyin Uzunboylu, Cigdem HursenIt is an honor for us to welcome you as Editors of Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences which has accepted publications indexed in qualified databases since 2006. We are ready to publish the new studies of Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences which has 5 full length articles written by authors from, Cyprus, Iran and Turkey.The aim of this issue is to give the researchers an opportunity to share their academic studies. First of all, I would like to thank all who have contributed to this issue. There are different focuses. For example, Cihat Demir, Burhan Sincar and Rıdvan Çelik explored to specify the matters encountered by science teachers during the teaching of physics and to provide them with solutions. The study group consisted of 50 science teachers who worked in Diyarbakır and Batman over the period of 2014 - 2015. This research is a descriptive study carried out by content analysis. According to the research findings, the top problems that the physics teachers encountered in physics lesson while processing the topics were laboratory problems. Some solutions have been introduced for science teachers in order to help them provide a better physics education.On the other hand, Parisa Abdolrezapour and Elahe Fallah explored the effect of reflective teaching on learner autonomy and the intrinsic motivation of Iranian upper-intermediate female learners. The subjects included 60 adult upper-intermediate EFL learners chosen out of ninety, based on the scores obtained through administration of the TOEFL exam. They were randomly assigned to two groups: a) the experimental group - taught by a reflective teacher - and b) the control group instructed by an unreflective teacher. The experimental group was then taught by the reflective teacher and the control group was taught by the unreflective teacher who adopted no tangible reflective actions. Finally, both groups sat for motivation and autonomy questionnaires. The results indicate that reflective teaching leads to the enhancement of both learners’ autonomy and the intrinsic motivation level.In addition to these, Nazım Kaşot and Serap Özbaş aimed in their study to assess the egoistic, altruistic and biospheric awareness of the consequence of high school students regarding the loss of bio-diversity, then comparing the results on the basis of some independent variables (gender, class and family income). According to the outcome of the research, students believed in biospheric, egoistic and altruistic results at the similar levels. While the impact of gender and family income on biospheric, altruistic and egoistic awareness of consequence is not so significant, the impact of class is significant on biospheric and altruistic awareness of consequence.Also Nazım Kaşot and Mete Özsezer studied historical environment subjects in elementary school social sciences textbooks. They focused on the 4th and 5th Grades in the context of both content and visuals. The method of the study analysed has been organised in accordance with the qualitative research. The population was not indicated pursuant to qualitative research and so purposive sampling was implemented. The textbooks used were mainly selected from the afore-mentioned grades and classes. All the data collected were based on the textbooks used during the assessment process. The data was gathered in accordance with the document analysis technique and everything was analysed in detail. The categories used were generated after the authors performed analysis by utilising textbooks. To ensure the validity of the categories, literature scanning was undertaken and expert opinion was taken. The category definitions were written for public access. Finally, Hakan Sarıcam and Üzeyir Ogurlu carried out a study on gifted students. Authors examined the relationships between metacognitive awareness and maths anxiety in gifted students. The second aim was to compare with gifted and non-gifted students’ metacognitive awareness and maths anxiety levels. According to the findings; firstly, gifted students’ metacognitive awareness scores were higher than those of non-gifted students. On the other hand, non-gifted students’ maths anxiety levels were higher than those of gifted students. Secondly, there was negative correlation between metacognitive awareness and math anxiety.I would like to express my thanks to all authors preferring Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences to make their articles published, all reviewers working seriously in the process of publishing, and also quest editors supporting us in this process.Best regards,Prof. Dr. Huseyin Uzunboylu, Editor-in-ChiefAssist. Prof. Dr. Cigdem Hursen, Executive Editor

Globalisation is now a fashionable topic of historical research. Books and articles routinely use the term, though often in a loose manner that has yet to realise the full potential of the subject. The question arises as to whether globalisation, as currently applied by historians, is sufficiently robust to resist inevitable changes in historiographical fashion. The fact that globalisation is a process and not a single theory opens the way, not only to over-general applications of the term, but also to rich research possibilities derived in particular from other social sciences. One such prospect, which ought to be at the centre of all historians’ interests, is how to categorise the evolution of the process. This question, which has yet to stimulate the lively debate it needs, is explored here by identifying three successive phases or sequences between the eighteenth century and the present, and joining them to the history of the empires that were their principal agents. These phases, termed proto-globalisation, modern globalisation, and postcolonial globalisation provide the context for reviewing the history of the West, including the United States, and in principle of the wider world too.

Turkey is the country hosting the highest number of refugees in the world, and a large majority of this population is refugees with temporary protection status from Syria. In this immigrant group, where the number of young populations is quite high, the number of students enrolling in universities in Turkey is increasing. However, education life provides advantages on the one hand, and on the other hand brings the disadvantages experienced by immigrants to the surface. The study is based on the intersectionality approach in order to reveal the advantages and disadvantages of students under temporary protection in their education life. Thus, the study aims to give a different and original perspective to the subject of migration and education. The intersectionality approach refers to the social position of an individual that emerges when different categories such as race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic class, age, disability, intersect and affect each other. In the study, which has a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 students studying at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University using semi-structured question forums. As a result of the study, it has been revealed that it is insufficient to explain the inequalities experienced by Syrian students in the education process by simply linking them to being refugees/immigrants. Instead, it has been understood that factors such as gender and roles, academic language deficiency, low socio-economic status, digital inadequacy and division, family and work environment, etc. affect each other.

Abstract Technology should be used in teaching and learning in universities. It is seen that studies on the use of Web 2.0 tools in education faculties are limited. Teachers who will integrate information and communication technologies into education at schools must first of all have prerequisite knowledge and skills on this subject. However, the effective use of technological tools in learning environments also depends on teachers’ perspectives on technology. This study aimed to determine the perceptions of pre-service teachers towards Web 2.0 applications through metaphors. The authors of the study effectively used web 2.0 tools during the semester in Educational Sociology, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity, and Integration in Special Education courses. In the study, phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research approaches, was used, and semi-structured interview form was used to collect the data. Participants of the study consisted of 123 pre-service teachers who took this course. In light of the findings, it was observed that the majority of the participants (98%) used positive metaphors about Web 2.0 applications, and 2% used negative metaphors. Metaphors were then classified into 7 categories and tables were created. Categories ‘Web 2.0 as a source and producer of information,’ ‘Web 2.0 as a measurement and evaluation tool,’ ‘Web 2.0 as an Innovation and Development Platform,’ ‘Web 2.0 as a social / fun environment,’ ‘Web as a helpful and supportive platform 2.0, ‘Web 2.0’ and ‘other’ as a stimulating and relaxing platform. The abstract is to be in fully-justified text. Use the word ‘Abstract’ as the title, in 11-point Times, bold, initially capitalized. The abstract is to be in 10-point, single-spaced type, and up to 200 words in length.

Purpose This study aims to determine the technical requirements for copyright protection of theses and dissertations for proposing a model for applying in Iran’s National System for Theses and Dissertations (INSTD). Design/methodology/approach This study used a mixed research methodology. The grounded theory was used in the qualitative phase, and a researcher-made checklist was applied in the quantitative phase for surveying the status of the INSTD. Research population included INSTD as well as six information specialists and copyright experts. Data were analysed by using open, axial and selective coding. Findings Based on data extracted from the completed checklists, some technical requirements had been provided in the system. The technical requirements that interviewees pointed out included the following two main classes: technical components and technical-software infrastructures, explored in the phase of the grounded theory. The individual categories included access control, copy control, technical-software challenges, protecting standards, hypertext transfer protocol secure, certificate authority, documentation of thesis and dissertation information, the use of digital object identifiers, copy detection systems, thesis and dissertation integrated systems, digital rights management systems and electronic copyright management systems. Research limitations/implications Considering the subject of this study, only the technical aspect was investigated, and other aspects were not included. In addition, electronic theses and dissertation (ETD) providers were not well aware of copyright issues. Practical implications Using the technical requirements with high security is effective in the INSTD to gain the trust of the authors and encourage them to deposit their ETDs. Social implications The increased use of the system encourages the authors to be more innovative in conducting their research. Originality/value Considering the continued violation of copyright in electronic databases, applying technical requirements for copyright protection and regulating users’ access to the information of theses and dissertations are needed in the INSTD.

Examining biological diversity in an explicitly evolutionary context has been the subject of research for several decades, yet relatively recent advances in analytical techniques and the increasing availability of species-level phylogenies, have enabled scientists to ask new questions. One such approach is to quantify phylogenetic signal to determine how trait variation is correlated with the phylogenetic relatedness of species. When phylogenetic signal is high, closely related species exhibit similar traits, and this biological similarity decreases as the evolutionary distance between species increases. Here, we first review the concept of phylogenetic signal and suggest how to measure and interpret phylogenetic signal in species traits. Second, we quantified phylogenetic signal in primates for 31 variables, including body mass, brain size, life-history, sexual selection, social organization, diet, activity budget, ranging patterns and climatic variables. We found that phylogenetic signal varies extensively across and even within trait categories. The highest values are exhibited by brain size and body mass, moderate values are found in the degree of territoriality and canine size dimorphism, while low values are displayed by most of the remaining variables. Our results have important implications for the evolution of behaviour and ecology in primates and other vertebrates.

The formulation of the aim/goal of the scientific article should be regarded as the expression of the author’s research intention to the reader. If the aim of the article is not stated, then the author seems to be saying that “you already understand what I am talking about here and why”. Such acting is not a scientifically correct attitude. An aim is one of the essential research categories next to the subject, object, research question or hypothesis. The aim of this scientific paper is to identify and characterize the choice and use of the infinitive for formulating the aim in the Latvian scientific articles. For this purpose, verbs first are excerpted, then divided into scientific fields according to Frascati Manual 2015 (Natural sciences; Engineering and technology; Medical and health sciences; Agricultural and veterinary sciences; Social sciences; Humanities and the arts). The verbs’s semantics analysis is done and conclusions are drawn. A total of 63 infinitive forms used to express the aim of research or scientific article are identified. Such verbs as “to analyze” and “to clarify” are used in scientific articles of all six scientific fields. In five of the six scientific fields, verbs “to explore”, “to estimate”, and “to determine” are used; in four – “to identify”, “to work out”, “to evaluate”, and “to compare”. In specific language material, these ten verbs can be regarded as the most often used infinitive forms in aim formulations. Beside simple formulations of aim with one infinitive form, more complicated aims’s formations with three or four infinitives can be observed. Such examples reflect the complex substance of the aim of research or scientific article. In this case, several verbs used in the aim formulation are coordinated parts of a sentence, ordered according to the syntactic patterns of the Latvian language, using both ways of connection – conjunctive and non-conjunctive connection. For greater accuracy and clarity, the aim of the study should be distinguished from the aim of the scientific article in those scientific fields that are mainly engaged in quantitative, including experimental, research. A research report, often in the form of a scientific publication, is the final stage in the study process. Before writing it, the author has to find the answer to the question: “what do I want to achieve with this research report?” The wording of the answer is also the basis for the aim formulation in a scientific article. The author also reveals the aim of the study in the following text by focusing on the research itself (usually, the aim of the study is formulated in the past tense, because the research has already taken place). Mixing both of these aims or using vague references, for example, “the aim of the work” (what does the word “work” denote – research or article?) means confusing the reader and giving a bad example to other authors.

Forty-four percent of Black transgender women are living with HIV, and many face challenges with HIV care engagement. An HIV cure has much to offer this population, however little HIV cure-related research has included them. We conducted 19 face-to-face in-depth interviews with 10 Black transgender women living with HIV. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed using content analysis. Our interview guide contained three categories: 1) perceptions of HIV cure-related research and participation, 2) perceptions of HIV treatment and treatment interruptions, and 3) considerations for transgender women and HIV cure-related research. Salient themes included skepticism about HIV cure strategies and limited benefits compared with an undetectable viral load. Willingness to interrupt HIV treatment for research was low and linked to being able to go back on the same HIV treatment without consequence when the study ended. Concerns about being a test subject and perceptions of risks versus benefits of various strategies also affected willingness to take part in HIV cure-related research. Centering the dignity and autonomy of research participants as well as building upon and supporting existing social networks were identified as important facilitators for engaging Black transgender women in HIV cure-related research. Specific to Black transgender women, other concerns included the desire for gender-affirming research staff, community-building among transgender women, and safety issues associated with risk of transphobic violence when traveling to study visits. Participants stressed the importance of HIV cure-related researchers providing accessible and complete information and expressing genuine care and concern for transgender communities.

This issue of Cuadernos de Administración by the Faculty of Administration Sciences of the Universidad del Valle, allows us to come closer to its 45th year of existence. Throughout this time, we have tried to publish different types of scientific research, review, or reflection papers by national and international authors who have relied on us to disseminate their knowledge. To every one of them, our authors, our referees, the members of the Editorial and Scientific Committees, but especially our readers, we would like to thank them for allowing us to continue, through digitalization, to bring a more significant impact on the sciences of administration.In the 66th issue, thirteen scientific papers have been published. The arbitration process guarantees the quality of the authors and their contributions in Spanish or English, to make a publication 100% in English, in the pursuit of higher knowledge dissemination. In this sense, we put to our readers’ consideration the editorial process undertaken in this issue, in the hope that its content will be a support or become a starting point for new discussions and concerns in their reflections and research, or that, if applicable, it will allow in future reviews or translations into other languages.The first article in this issue, entitled “Characterization and determinants of organizational satisfaction in Mexican SME workers,” by using quantitative methods, attempts to build a model to understand organizational satisfaction from variables related to job satisfaction through a survey to 646 workers, of both sexes and between the ages of 18 and 70, in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). “Management of Corporate Social Responsibility in Project Management: Theoretical Approach” is the title of the second paper, and it aims to conduct a theoretical discussion on social responsibility within the framework of project management. The methodology defines the steps taken by the researchers to achieve presenting elements and conclusions from the different theoretical approaches found. The third article “Coordinating sustainability, globalization and urban intelligence with Habitat III and SDG-2030 agendas: the challenge of sustainable urban development in cities”, is the result of research in 83 cities where, using the correspondence analysis technique, the authors analyzed around urban development, globalization, urban intelligence and sustainability, and whether these relate to sustainable development and habitat goals.The fourth article, “Trust as a mechanism to improve performance in organizations,” includes a relational model between employee trust in the organization and company performance, as mediated by an organizational commitment to learning and employee commitment to the company. Using quantitative methods, through a 31-item survey applied to 161 individuals from different organizations in the southwestern region of Colombia, the relationship between competencies and skills management and the performance of organizations is analyzed.In the fifth paper, the authors investigate the concept of productivity in the context of knowledge workers. As a method, they applied interviews to a group of managers and workers from organizations in the knowledge-intensive services sector and ultimately raise some challenges. The title of this article is “Work Productivity Management in Knowledge Intensive Service Companies: Considerations and Challenges.” “Impact of economic internationalization policies in Colombia, Peru, and Chile,” is the sixth scientific research paper, where, from a mixed approach paired with documentary analysis of the different government plans and categories of export development, integration agreements, and institutional development, and by analyzing quantitative variables from GDP, exports and trade balance, the authors analyze how trade policies and integration in Colombia, Chile and Peru impacted their international trade in the period from 1980 to 2017. The seventh article in our 66th issue is called “Financing decisions in the creative and cultural SMEs of Bogotá, Colombia.” Through a survey, the authors compare assumptions from financial theories in cultural and creative SMEs in Bogotá, finding some factors that drive their financial decision-making.Using linear regressions, the authors compared the influence of social networks in the self-perception of the academic performance of a group of university students in Mexico and Spain. The findings show differences in both countries. “Social networks and academic performance self-perception in business sciences students” is the title of the paper mentioned above.The ninth article is entitled “Social norms and entrepreneurial intent in university researchers in Colombia.” Therein, the authors, using quantitative methods, propose relationships between social norms, among other variables, and entrepreneurial intent when conducting a survey on peer reviewers at Colciencias and the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The results account for the relationships found, which a literature review supports.In the paper “Sociological ambivalence in three Latin American corporate control institutions: Tax Inspectorate (Colombia), Statutory Examiner (Mexico) and Statutory Audit (Argentina),” the authors propose some contradictions present in corporate control and do so from the theoretical framework of sociological ambivalence. Qualitative content analysis is used to approach the institutions studied.The paper “Reflections towards Responsible Tourism in the Framework of Social Responsibility” aims to present Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) elements in the context of the hotel subsector, based on literature documentary analysis, to propose improvements in social responsibility practices in the sector.“Investment projects: definition from the perspective of processes” is the title of a paper that presents an analysis of the definition of investment projects from the perspectives of the subject, method, and object of intervention in order to identify their relationship with the improvement of processes. Among the findings, it is evident that most of the definitions are framed within the method or form of intervention.Our last paper in this issue is a review. It carries the title “Shared value: a bibliometric review of literature from the approaches of strategy, corporate social responsibility, and stakeholders,” where the authors conduct research based on a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis, and focus on the evolution of the concept of shared value, presenting elements from its proposal and some current tendencies.The content of each paper is the sole responsibility of their authors. This issue presents a new opportunity for the national and international scientific community to judge the outcome in each of these proposals. We hope you will continue to accompany us as readers of our scientific journal.

Objectives The purpose of this study is to focus on humanities college graduates reported to have lower quantitative and qualitative achievements in the labor market compared to other majors, and to look closely at what their search for employment is like and what experiences they have in the process. Methods The research method of this study is as follows. Semi-structured one-on-one in-depth interviews were performed on 14 subjects who graduated from four-year university majoring in humanities disciplines and have been employed in a corporate setting for fewer than 3 years. Interview data were analyzed based on the grounded theoretical method of Strauss and Corbin (1990; 1998; 2001). Results The major findings can be summarized as follows. First, categorizing through open coding works yielded 178 concepts, 43 subcategories, and 26 categories. Second, paradigm models of experiences of humanities graduate students in the employment process were presented. Third, the stages of the employment process of the humanities graduates through process analysis were derived: ‘exploration of career alternatives’, ‘career alternative expansion/conversion’, ‘employment preparation behavior’, and ‘job retention’. Conclusions The main phenomenon experienced by humanities college graduates in the employment process of company was found to be “anxiety due to the social limitations of their major”. They were more aware of the social double barriers of ‘humanities’ and ‘gender’ than personal internal barriers in the employment process of companies. Based on the results of this study, the correct direction of career and employment education for humanities majors was suggested at the university career and employment center and Humanities department level, and at the national and company level.

The article carries out a criminological analysis of the main elements of the drug crime prevention mechanism as a complex system of legal response of law enforcement agencies to criminal phenomena, characterized by an integral complex of interrelated elements, and on this basis the researched concept is formulated and the differences between the closest adjacent categories are shown. It was determined that the concept of the mechanism of combating crime in the field of illegal drug trafficking as a category has a double meaning. The complexity of choosing an approach to determining the constituent system elements of the mechanism also determines the complexity of the studied concept itself. The study of the mechanism as a system with all its interrelationships helped to fully reveal the meaning of this concept. As for such a social phenomenon as countering drug crime, the concept of "mechanism" must be used mainly in a practical aspect, bearing in mind the achievement of certain results of criminological influence from the activities of law enforcement agencies. At the same time, the concept of "crime prevention mechanism" is really related to the concept of "crime prevention". The mechanism of drug crime prevention in his understanding is considered as a systemic and complex construction that can be interpreted within the framework of different approaches. These approaches, which make it possible to use the research potential of other sciences (mainly psychology, cybernetics, sociology, various branches of legal sciences that study various aspects of management), are aimed at revealing certain, sometimes very important, aspects of crime prevention and its mechanisms. Based on the results of the conducted research, it was concluded that the mechanism of combating drug crime is considered as such a system formation (all aggregates as a single entity) of norms, principles, institutions (state-legal and socio-political), forms, methods and means (organizational, legal, economic, socio-psychological), connections and relations, with the help of which the criminological influence of law enforcement agencies on specific objects is carried out in order to achieve certain goals. In this narrow (literal) understanding, this mechanism is a set of forms, methods and means used by individual subjects to carry out broad activities in the field of combating drug crime. It was determined that the criminological doctrine and practice of law enforcement confirmed that the dynamics and structure of modern drug crime are determined not only by the traditional causes and conditions of this negative social phenomenon, long studied by specialists, but also by specific criminogenic factors caused by various crisis phenomena and processes, generated by new complex social - economic and domestic political realities in which Ukrainian society found itself.

The modern digital economy requires “new finance”. The subject of the study is to clarify their content, and the goal is to develop the author’s view of the term of “finance”. The relevance of the topic is dictated by the need to analyze complex theoretical questions of technological transformation of financial markets and activities of financial intermediaries. The scientific novelty consists of the theoretical contribution of the theory of finance evolution in the digital era. The main research methods are systemic and logical approaches, the method of theoretical cognition, the historical method and the method of scientific abstraction. The results of the study are clarification the essence of finance and applied issues of their use in Russia and abroad. It will contribute to the development of a scientific doctrine of digital assets circulation; will allow to refine the model of the activities of financial intermediaries’ regulation in our country and lay the foundation for the formation of global norms and rules for the development of national and international financial markets of the CIS, the EAEU, the SCO, and BRICS countries. The conclusions of the study are: a) confirmation of the author’s position on the essence of finance. The paper indicates that, in the context of the economy’s digital revolution, the substance of economic categories stays constant, although their forms vary according to innovation, behavioral characteristics, and other factors; b) without rejecting the rational knowledge formed in the Western scientific school, the authors emphasize that the social sciences cannot be global, they have a national character; c) based on the investigation, the author defines “finance” as a distribution category in the development and utilization of financial resources.

This paper is part of an ongoing research project that aims at identifying types of masculinities in Romanian socialist cinema, by using gender studies and other contributions on the topic of masculinity in order to provide a sociological reading of Romanian films made during the communist regime. I will look at the way in which Western understandings of masculinity have been transferred to Eastern European categories of masculinity in cinema and I will establish a critical framework for my analysis, with an introduction to studies on masculinity, and expand on elements of sociological and psychoanalytical works, namely major contributions from Connell (1987), Segal (2007) and Horrocks (1994, 1995). Two defining concepts in masculinity studies are hegemonic masculinity (Connell 1987) and homosociality (Bird, 1996), theories which will constitute the basis for my case studies in order to see if male characters in Romanian socialist cinema fit into this categorization. The last part of this paper will be an analysis of three films, Reenactment (Reconstituirea, Lucian Pintilie, 1968), 100 Lei (100 de lei, Mircea Săucan, 1973) and At the End of the Line (La capătul liniei, Dinu Tănase), in which the male characters exist outside society, they cannot conform to what is being required of them as socialist subjects. The purpose is to see how gender performativity plays a role in the relationship between men, with a focus on violence and how it is connected to a search for a father figure and male friendships.