Start-up conditions and the performance of women – and men- controlled businesses in manufacturating industries

Recent research on the economic performance of women-controlled firms suggests that their underperformance may not result from differences in the managerial ability of women as compared to men, but it can be the result of different levels of start-up resources. Using accounting data, this paper examines the effects that selected start-up conditions have on the economic performance observed in a sample of 4450 Spanish manufacturing firms. The results indicate significant differences regarding the initial conditions, showing lower levels of assets and number of employees what have implications on the economic performance of women-controlled firms.

Projecte de usabilitat : Menú gestió acadèmica telemàtica de la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

La finalitat general d'aquest projecte és dissenyar i avaluar la facilitat d'ús del menú de l'aplicació GAT. Els objectius principals són ordenar, agrupar i classificar les opcions del menú, agrupar-les per processos i subprocessos de la UOC, disminuir l'adaptació a l'aplicació, facilitar-ne l'aprenentatge i distingir amb claredat si és una opció de tipus formulari o de tipus web.

El fracàs escolar lligat necessàriament a un QI baix? Estudi del fracàs escolar d'un grup classe de l'Escola Pit-Roig

Davant la diversitat de teories que acompanyen al concepte de fracàs escolar i a la seva relació amb la intel·ligència, a continuació es presenta un estudi d'un grup classe de primària en un centre escolar de Barcelona ciutat, enfocat a verificar o rebutjar algunes de les teories clàssiques que parlen sobre l'èxit i/o el fracàs escolar i els factors predictius d'aquest, en concret el quocient intel·lectual, a l'igual que d'altres factors determinants amb aquest rendiment escolar. D'aquest grup classe, han estat tres els subjectes que han estat sotmesos a un estudi més profund per ser els que presenten fracàs escolar. Els materials utilitzats han estat diferents tests psicomètrics per valorar la intel·ligència de tot el grup classe, i les conductes adaptatives i la part emocional i relacional d'aquests tres alumnes, i un qüestionari per obtenir informació dels hàbits d'estudi de tot el grup classe. Les activitats realitzades han inclòs el passar aquests tests, observacions a l'aula del grup classe, a l'aula de reforç i al pati, passar el qüestionari a tot el grup classe, entrevistes amb aquests tres alumnes en concret, amb les seves famílies, amb la tutora del grup classe i amb la monitora de reforç. Els resultats obtinguts en aquest estudi ens han permès rebutjar les teories que correlacionen directament el quocient intel·lectual amb un predictor del rendiment escolar i de les conductes adaptatives, i a reafirmar que la metodologia d'ensenyament-aprenentatge influeix de forma directa en la motivació de l'alumnat en els seus estudis, en la comprensió de la nova informació, en l'atribució d'un significat a l'aprenentatge i en rendiment escolar.

The Impact of advice on women's and men's selection into competition

We conduct a laboratory experiment to study how advice affects the gender gap in the entry into a real-effort tournament. Our experiment is motivated by the concerns raised by approaching the gender gap through affirmative action. Advice is given by subjects who have already had some experience with the participation decision. We show that advice improves the entry decision of subjects, in that forgone earnings due to wrong entry decisions go significantly down. This is mainly driven by significantly increased entry of strong performing women, who also become significantly more confident, and reduced entry of weak performing men.

What made him change? an individual and national analysis of men's participation in housework in 26 countries

We offer new evidence on multi-level determinants of the gender division of housework. Using data from the 2004 European Social Survey (ESS) for 26 European, we study the micro and macro-level factors which increase the likelihood of men doing an equal or greater share of housework than their female partners. A sample of 11,915 young men and women is analysed with a multi-level logistic regression in order to test at individual level the classic relative-income, time-availability and gender-role values, and a new couple conflict hypothesis. At individual level we find significant relationships between relative resources, values, couple's disagreement, and the division of housework which support more economic dependency than "doing gender" perspectives. At the macro-level, we find important composition effects and also support for gender empowerment, family model and social stratification explanations of cross-country differences.

The work of Spanish men. A quantitative analysis based on census data, 1900-1970

This paper presents a historical examination of employment in old age in Spain, in order to characterize this labour segment and identify and analyse its specific problems. One of these problems is the life-cycle deskilling process, already shown for certain national cases. This study explores whether this hypothesis also holds in Spain. The perspective used is essentially quantitative, as our analysis is based on the age-profession tables in Spanish population censuses from 1900 to 1970.

The work of Spanish men. A quantitative analysis based on census data, 1900-1970

This paper presents a historical examination of employment in old age in Spain, in order to characterize this labour segment and identify and analyse its specific problems. One of these problems is the life-cycle deskilling process, already shown for certain national cases. This study explores whether this hypothesis also holds in Spain. The perspective used is essentially quantitative, as our analysis is based on the age-profession tables in Spanish population censuses from 1900 to 1970.

The ‘Dys-Appearing’ Body in Doris Lessing’s The Diary of a Good Neighbour and Margaret Forster’s Have the Men Had Enough?

If the old body is usually read as a synonym of fragility and upcoming illness, even though not the case for most elderly citizens, the reality is that the longer we live, the increased probability of being affected by different illnesses cannot be eluded or denied. In Doris Lessing’s The Diary of a Good Neighbour and Margaret Forster’s Have the Men Had Enough? the reader is invited to participate in the day-to-day routines of two aged female protagonists, as well as to empathize with their inner feelings as they go through their last life stage. In fact, their ‘dys-appearing’ bodies, marked by their respective terminal illnesses, force these characters to grow closer to those around them and to accept the help of their families and friends, despite their desire to keep their free will and independence until the very end. The analysis of the two novels within the framework of ageing studies aims to show the contradictions existing between a growing ageing society and the negative cultural connotations of old age in Western society and the need to revise them.

En olor de santidad. La actitud del cristianismo hacia la cultura del baño

Los primeros siglos de la historia del cristianismo contemplaron la aparición del ascetismo, un movimiento que propugnaba el abandono de los modos de vida típicamente urbanos que caracterizaron el mundo grecolatino con el que los ascetas deseaban romper. Los hábitos higiénicos simbolizaban en buena medida este mundo del que deseaban alejarse. Así, los relatos de vidas de eremitas están llenos de referencias a esta ruptura con la cultura del baño. Jerónimo, gran defensor del anacoretismo, critica la higiene, en más de una ocasión, con palabras que recuerdan a ciertos pasajes de los Evangelios. La prohibición del baño también se encuentra en las primeras reglas monásticas. Estas posturas extremistas no representaban la opinión oficial de la Iglesia ni la de la gran masa del vulgo que profesaba la religión cristiana, quien continuaba frecuentando las termas. Los obispos de algunas ciudades, incluso, fueron los responsables de que determinadas termas públicas continuaran en uso.

Changes in the phenolic content of low density lipoprotein after olive oil consumption in men. A randomized crossover controlled trial

Olive oil decreases the risk of CVD. This effect may be due to the fatty acid profile of the oil, but it may also be due to its antioxidant content which differs depending on the type of olive oil. In this study, the concentrations of oleic acid and antioxidants (phenolic compounds and vitamin E) in plasma and LDL were compared after consumption of three similar olive oils, but with differences in their phenolic content. Thirty healthy volunteers participated in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover, randomized supplementation trial. Virgin, common, and refined olive oils were administered during three periods of 3 weeks separated by a 2-week washout period. Participants were requested to ingest a daily dose of 25 ml raw olive oil, distributed over the three meals of the day, during intervention periods. All three olive oils caused an increase in plasma and LDL oleic acid (P,0·05) content. Olive oils rich in phenolic compounds led to an increase in phenolic compounds in LDL (P,0·005). The concentration of phenolic compounds in LDL was directly correlated with the phenolic concentration in the olive oils. The increase in the phenolic content of LDL could account for the increase of the resistance of LDL to oxidation, and the decrease of the in vivo oxidized LDL, observed in the frame of this trial. Our results support the hypothesis that a daily intake of virgin olive oil promotes protective LDL changes ahead of its oxidation.

Socially anxious and confident men interact with a forward virtual woman: an experiment study

Male volunteers entered an immersive virtual reality that depicted a party, where they were approached by a lone virtual woman who initiated a conversation. The goal was to study how socially anxious and socially confident men would react to this event. Interest focused on whether the socially anxious participants would exhibit sustained anxiety during the conversation or whether this would diminish over time, and differ from the responses of the more socially confident men.

A short screener is valid for assessing mediterranean diet adherence among older spanish men and women

Ensuring the accuracy of dietary assessment instruments is paramount for interpreting diet-disease relationships. The present study assessed the relative and construct validity of the 14-point Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) used in the Prevencio´n con Dieta Mediterra´nea (PREDIMED) study, a primary prevention nutrition-intervention trial. A validated FFQ and the MEDAS were administered to 7146 participants of the PREDIMED study. The MEDASderived PREDIMED score correlated significantly with the corresponding FFQ PREDIMED score (r = 0.52; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.51) and in the anticipated directions with the dietary intakes reported on the FFQ. Using Bland Altman"s analysis, the average MEDAS Mediterranean diet score estimate was 105% of the FFQ PREDIMED score estimate. Limits of agreement ranged between 57 and 153%. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that a higher PREDIMED score related directly (P , 0.001) to HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and inversely (P , 0.038) to BMI, waist circumference, TG, the TG:HDL-C ratio, fasting glucose, and the cholesterol:HDL-C ratio. The 10-y estimated coronary artery disease risk decreased as the PREDIMED score increased (P , 0.001). The MEDAS is a valid instrument for rapid estimation of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and may be useful in clinical practice.

A short screener is valid for assessing mediterranean diet adherence among older spanish men and women

Ensuring the accuracy of dietary assessment instruments is paramount for interpreting diet-disease relationships. The present study assessed the relative and construct validity of the 14-point Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) used in the Prevencio´n con Dieta Mediterra´nea (PREDIMED) study, a primary prevention nutrition-intervention trial. A validated FFQ and the MEDAS were administered to 7146 participants of the PREDIMED study. The MEDASderived PREDIMED score correlated significantly with the corresponding FFQ PREDIMED score (r = 0.52; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.51) and in the anticipated directions with the dietary intakes reported on the FFQ. Using Bland Altman"s analysis, the average MEDAS Mediterranean diet score estimate was 105% of the FFQ PREDIMED score estimate. Limits of agreement ranged between 57 and 153%. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that a higher PREDIMED score related directly (P , 0.001) to HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and inversely (P , 0.038) to BMI, waist circumference, TG, the TG:HDL-C ratio, fasting glucose, and the cholesterol:HDL-C ratio. The 10-y estimated coronary artery disease risk decreased as the PREDIMED score increased (P , 0.001). The MEDAS is a valid instrument for rapid estimation of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and may be useful in clinical practice.