Exploratory study of corporate social responsibility: blogs as a communication tool to enhance company-stakeholders relationships

O conceito de responsabilidade social corporativa (RSE) evoluiu gradualmente do objetivo de satisfazer as expectativas dos acionistas para o cumprimento das expectativas das partes interessadas. Tornou-se um conceito amplamente aceitado e promovido como as empresas enfrentam maiores pressões de atores internos e externos para cumprir objetivos sociais maiores. Assim, elas cada vez mais comunicam sobre os esforços de responsabilidade social delas, a fim de fomentar a confiança e o envolvimento dos stakeholders. Mas o aumento da cidadania global e as novas tecnologias de informação e de comunicação – como as mídias sociaias – está criando uma paisagem desafiador para a comunicação RSE, se traduzindo em escrutínio e ceticismo do público. No entanto, também está criando novas oportunidades para as empresas compartilhar e interagir com as partes interessadas. O estudo analisa especificamente como os blogs corporativos dedicados à comunicação RSE conseguem melhorar as relações entre as empresas e as partes interessadas. Esta pesquisa exploratória da estrutura e das mensagens de 9 blogs corporativos, é baseada em um quadro de análise sobre comunicação RSE em plataformas de mídias sociais desenvolvido por Gomez e Chalmeta (2013). O quadro está melhorado e adaptado para blogs graças à literatura sobre comunicação RSE, mídias sociais e blogs corporativos. Os resultados demonstram que o uso de características de blogs como apresentação, conteúdo e interatividade, é diversificado e reflete estratégias diferentes de comunicação RSE. Blogs permitem às empresas aumentar a visibilidade da comunicação RSE, melhorar a credibilidade e a legitimidade dos esforços de responsabilidade social, e também trazer discussões com os stakeholders. No entanto, demonstramos que as características e recursos dos blogs raramente são totalmente desenvolvidos, sugerindo avenidas para a melhoria no campo da comunicação nas mídias sociais. Especificamente, o uso da interatividade para criar relações baseadas em diálogo entre empresas e stakeholders está até atrasado em relação à extensão das oportunidades oferecidas pelos blogs. Além disso, o grau de utilização das ferramentas de blogs determina a eficácia da comunicação de RSE 2.0 das empresas na criação de relações empresa-stakeholder.

Social cohesion: inclusion and a sense of belonging in Latin America and the Caribbean. Summary

Includes bibliography

Effects of Systematic Social Skill Training on the Social-Communication Behaviors of Young Children with Autism During Play Activities

A systematic social skills training intervention to teach reciprocal sharing was designed and implemented with triads of preschool-age children, including one child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and two untrained classroom peers who had no delays or disabilities. A multiple-baseline research design was used to evaluate effects of the social skills training intervention on social-communication and sharing behaviors exhibited by the participants with ASD during interactive play activities with peers. Social-communication behaviors measured included contact and distal gestures, touching peers and speaking. Four sharing behaviors were also measured, including sharing toys and objects, receiving toys and objects, asking others to share, and giving requested items. Results indicated considerable gains in overall social-communication behaviors. The greatest improvements were observed in the participants’ use of contact gestures and speaking. Slightly increasing trends were noted and suggested that participants with ASD made modest gains in learning the sharing skills taught during social skills training lessons. Social validity data indicate that participants with ASD and peer participants found the intervention appropriate and acceptable, and staff perception ratings indicated significant changes in the social skills of participants with ASD. Study outcomes have practical implications for educational practitioners related to enhancing social-communication and social interactions of young children with ASD. Study limitations and future directions for research are discussed.

Nonverbal social communication and gesture control in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia patients are severely impaired in nonverbal communication, including social perception and gesture production. However, the impact of nonverbal social perception on gestural behavior remains unknown, as is the contribution of negative symptoms, working memory, and abnormal motor behavior. Thus, the study tested whether poor nonverbal social perception was related to impaired gesture performance, gestural knowledge, or motor abnormalities. Forty-six patients with schizophrenia (80%), schizophreniform (15%), or schizoaffective disorder (5%) and 44 healthy controls matched for age, gender, and education were included. Participants completed 4 tasks on nonverbal communication including nonverbal social perception, gesture performance, gesture recognition, and tool use. In addition, they underwent comprehensive clinical and motor assessments. Patients presented impaired nonverbal communication in all tasks compared with controls. Furthermore, in contrast to controls, performance in patients was highly correlated between tasks, not explained by supramodal cognitive deficits such as working memory. Schizophrenia patients with impaired gesture performance also demonstrated poor nonverbal social perception, gestural knowledge, and tool use. Importantly, motor/frontal abnormalities negatively mediated the strong association between nonverbal social perception and gesture performance. The factors negative symptoms and antipsychotic dosage were unrelated to the nonverbal tasks. The study confirmed a generalized nonverbal communication deficit in schizophrenia. Specifically, the findings suggested that nonverbal social perception in schizophrenia has a relevant impact on gestural impairment beyond the negative influence of motor/frontal abnormalities.

El periodismo de paz como paradigma de comunicación para el cambio social: características, dimensiones y obstáculos

El periodismo de paz constituye un paradigma orientado al cambio social cuyo principal objetivo es dotar a los profesionales de la comunicación de herramientas analíticas y prácticas que les permitan abordar el conflicto de manera constructiva y éticamente responsable. Supone un desafío a la forma de interpretar los propios conflictos, las relaciones entre medios de comunicación y sociedad y el rol que los periodistas pueden o deben jugar en contextos de esta naturaleza. En el presente artículo se plantea una revisión teórica del periodismo de paz que nos va a permitir reformularlo conceptualmente, delimitar sus dimensiones y establecer los obstáculos o límites que, dadas las características del sistema mediático hegemónico, dificultan hoy en día su éxito como modelo de comunicación, clave en la construcción de una cultura de paz.

Social science and institutional change /

Mode of access: Internet.

Social media in emergency management:Twitter as a tool for communicating risks to the public

One of the main challenges of emergency management lies in communicating risks to the public. On some occasions, risk communicators might seek to increase awareness over emerging risks, while on others the aim might be to avoid escalation of public reactions. Social media accounts offer an opportunity to rapidly distribute critical information and in doing so to mitigate the impact of emergencies by influencing public reactions. This article draws on theories of risk and emergency communication in order to consider the impact of Twitter as a tool for communicating risks to the public. We analyse 10,020 Twitter messages posted by the official accounts of UK local government authorities (councils) in the context of two major emergencies: the heavy snow of December 2010 and the riots of August 2011. Twitter was used in a variety of ways to communicate and manage associated risks including messages to provide official updates, encourage protective behaviour, increase awareness and guide public attention to mitigating actions. We discuss the importance of social media as means of increasing confidence in emergency management institutions.

Culture in Transfer: Translation and Transcultural Communication International Conference

It is widely acknowledged that interpreters need to have knowledge of the cultures represented by the languages they work with (e.g. Roy 2002, Angelelli 2004, Wadensjŏ 2008). However, it is not clear what interpreters are expected to do with this knowledge. Some scholars recommend that interpreters be cultural mediators (e.g. Katan 2004 & 2014). As an attempt to examine existing guidelines on interpreters’ roles in the face of cultures/cultural issues, the research reported in this paper compares and contrasts the codes of conduct for interpreters from a number of associations and institutions in the UK, the US and China. The research has collected three different sets of data and has sought to investigate (1) in what ways interpreters are expected to do with their knowledge of cultures; (2) to what extent interpreters’ role as cultural mediators is referred to or defined in these codes of conduct; and (3) whether or not relevant guidelines are practically helpful for interpreters to deal with the range of cultural issues they may encounter in interpreting. Data analysis suggests that while cultural knowledge is a requisite for interpreters, the expectation for them to be cultural mediators may depend on the types of interpreting setting they work with and further guidelines are needed so that interpreters are clear on what they are required to do in dealing with cultural issues. The paper then discusses the implications of these findings and points to some directions for future research. Key references Brunette, L., G Bastin, I. Hemlin and H. Clarke (ed.). The Critical Link 3: Interpreters in the Community. Amsterdam/Philadephia: John Benjamins. Hale, S. 2007. Community Interpreting. Hampshire, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. The International Association of Conference Interpreting, 2015. Interpreting Explained. Available from: http://aiic.net/; accessed on 24 June 2015 Katan, David, --- 2004. Translating Cultures: An Introduction for Translators, Interpreters and Mediators. St Jerome. --- 2014. Workshop: Translation at the cross-roads: time for the transcreational turn? University College London. Martín, Mayte C. & Mary Phelan, 2009. Interpreters and Cultural Mediators – different but complementary roles. In: Translocations: Migration and Social Change. ISSN Number: 2009-0420 (online) McDonough Dolmaya, Julie, (2011. Moral ambiguity: Some shortcomings of professional codes of ethics for translators. In: The Journal of Specialised Translation. Issue 15, January 2011 (online). Pöchhacker, F., 2008. Interpreting as Mediation. In: (ed.) Valero Garcés, C. and Martin, A, Crossing Borders in Community Interpreting: definitions and dilemmas, pp. 9-26. John Benjamins Amsterdam and Philadelphia. Roy, Cynthia B., 2002. The Problem with Definitions, Descriptions, and the Role Metaphors of Interpreters. In: (ed.) Pöchhacker, Franz & Miriam Shlesinger, The Interpreting Studies Reader. Routledge. Wadensjö 1998. Interpreting as Interaction. New York: Addison Wesley Longman Inc.

What is social innovation? The paradigm shift and its relationship with Social Work

Innovation is a fundamental part of social work. In recent years there has been a shift in the innovation paradigm, making it easier to accept this relationship. National and supranational policies aimed at promoting innovation appear to be specifically guided by this idea. To be able to affirm this hypothesis, it is necessary to review the perception that social workers have of their duties. It is also useful to examine particular cases that show how such social innovation arises.

Community social innovation: a view of experiences of housing occupation from the Social Work perspective

This work aims to reflect on the concept of social innovation, questioning its explanatory capacity for the discipline of social work. For this purpose, certain on-going debates with regard to this concept are examined and certain minimum dimensions are offered to enable an analysis of the social innovation strategies that certain affected groups implement to meet social needs. The approach is to construct «glasses» that permit an analytical engagement with new realities and with the strategies used by certain social groups to resolve situations of severe vulnerability. Finally, a case study is presented: a strategic group known as the Corrala Utopía that seeks to respond to severe housing problems and is developing in the city of Seville. The article highlights the elements of community social innovation emerging from the experience studied.

The Electoral Rise of Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe: Ideological Parameters and Social Motivations

Populist radical right parties have become major political actors in Europe. This paper analyses the path and the different phases that have led them from the fringes of public debate to their present signifi cance, which is based on their capacity to attract electoral support and infl uence the political agendas in their respective countries. Besides, an analysis of the core ideological beliefs of these parties, and of the topics on which their mobilization capacity rests, is provided, as well as of the type of voters that are attracted by them. Finally, the authors discuss the meaning and impact of the growing popularity of the ideas and proposals put forward by the populist radical right parties.

Contar la crisis: materiales narrativos en la semántica social de la crisis

Basado en la evidencia proporcionada por 9 grupos de discusión, este trabajo aborda la semántica social de la crisis en el marco de la hipótesis propuesta por Janet Roitman. En consecuencia propone retratar distintas estrategias narrativas que permiten dar cuenta de la experiencia de la crisis según cuatro ejes de contraposiciones: agencia/paciencia, moralización/poder, coyuntura/cronicidad, destrucción/creación. En su parte final, propone fijar los rasgos fundamentales de los sujetos que aparecen en seno de las tramas narrativas propuestas.

Fronteras en construcción: Diferenciación social y desterritorialización en el Sur ibérico (siglos IX-VI a.C.)

Durante las tres últimas décadas, numerosos/as arqueólogos/as han discutido extensamente sobre el ritual funerario original de las poblaciones del sur ibérico entre los siglos ix y vi a.c., esto es, cremación o inhumación. Este debate está además conectado con la existencia o no de complejidad social antes de la llegada fenicia, con la aparición de una élite “orientalizada” y con la adopción de nuevos objetos y prácticas por las poblaciones locales. En este artículo hago uso del concepto deleuziano de “desterritorialización” y lo asocio con el de “frontera” desarrollado por anzaldúa para interpretar la sociedad del sur ibérico. Para ello, analizo la evidencia funeraria indígena y cuestiono la división estricta entre cremación e inhumación en la región; así como examino la profundidad y significado de los cambios funerarios en las comunidades locales.

Social Transformations and Survivals in the Spanish Navy: The Midshipmen’s Access Requirements (1717-1869)

This work studies the creation, development and evolution of the Spanish midshipmen, through their requirements, from the early 18th century to the second third of the 19th century. The aims are: to know deeply an essential post in the Navy –naval cadet- that still requires an exhaustive review; and, primarily, to link the transformations of the candidates’ requirements to the social debates which were proposed in Spain during this two centuries. The so-called transition from the estates society to the class society, or the step from a society of inheriting criteria to a society based on achieving variables, did not occur linearly; changes and inertia went hand in hand with contradictions and conflicts, thus in this paper the Spanish midshipmen are analysed by several relationally variables.

Los nuevos movimientos sociales, el uso de las TIC y su impacto social

El siguiente trabajo es el resultado una revisión sobre los Nuevos movimientos sociales y el uso de las nuevas tecnologías, vistos a la luz de la filosofía política. Esta reflexión parte de los resultados obtenidos en la tesis doctoral sobre “Nuevos movimientos sociales y uso de las TIC. Estudio de casos” presentada en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid en el doctorado de Comunicación, Cambio Social y Desarrollo. Si bien estos movimientos han existido desde hace mucho tiempo, las nuevas tecnologías digitales permiten la visualización, expansión y divulgación mayor de sus agendas y propuestas. El “saber hacer” de estos nuevos movimientos y su capacidad de transformación social, son expresión de un marco de estrategias diferentes a las propuestas por los grupos tradicionales enmarcados en los partidos políticos. Las metodologías de acción civil requieren de un flujo natural de la información, que los partidos políticos no pueden reproducir. Los recursos simbólicos y las expresiones de sentimientos y emociones, saltan a la palestra del juego social configurando un nuevo lenguaje, una manera distinta de ser. Más allá de la implicaciones mediáticas y políticas, hay un trasfondo en términos de cambio social profundo.