Dignity in care: where next for nursing ethics scholarship and research?

Dignity is recognised as both a central and also a contested value in bioethics discourse. The aim of this manuscript is to examine some of the key strands of the extensive body of dignity scholarship and research literature as it relates to nursing ethics and practice. The method is a critical appraisal of selected articles published in Nursing Ethics and other key manuscripts and texts identified by researchers in the UK and Brazil as influential. The results suggest a wide and rather confusing range of perspectives and findings albeit with some overall themes relating to objective and subjective features of dignity. In conclusion, the authors point to the need for more sustained philosophical engagement contextualising human dignity within a plurality of professional values. Future empirical work should explore what matters to patients, families, professionals and citizens in different cultural contexts rather than foregrounding qualitative research with such a contested concept.

The value of useless information

There are many situations in which individuals have a choice of whether or notto observe eventual outcomes. In these instances, individuals often prefer to remainignorant. These contexts are outside the scope of analysis of the standard vonNeumann-Morgenstern (vNM) expected utility model, which does not distinguishbetween lotteries for which the agent sees the final outcome and those for which hedoes not. I develop a simple model that admits preferences for making an observationor for remaining in doubt. I then use this model to analyze the connectionbetween preferences of this nature and risk-attitude. This framework accommodatesa wide array of behavioral patterns that violate the vNM model, and thatmay not seem related, prima facie. For instance, it admits self-handicapping, inwhich an agent chooses to impair his own performance. It also accommodatesa status quo bias without having recourse to framing effects, or to an explicitdefinition of reference points. In a political economy context, voters have strictincentives to shield themselves from information. In settings with other-regardingpreferences, this model predicts observed behavior that seems inconsistent witheither altruism or self-interested behavior.

The role of awareness, information gathering and processing in school choice

This paper studies the determinants of school choice, focusing on the role of information. Weconsider how parents' search efforts and their capacity to process information (i.e., tocorrectly assess schools) affect the quality of the schools they choose for their children. Usinga novel dataset, we are able to identify parents' awareness of schools in their neighborhoodand measure their capacity to rank the quality of the school with respect to the officialrankings. We find that parents education and wealth are important factors in determiningtheir level of school awareness and information gathering. Moreover, these search effortshave important consequences in terms of the quality of school choice.

Let's (not) talk about sex: The effect of information provision on gender differences in performance under competition

We study how gender differences in performance under competition areaffected by the provision of information regarding rival s gender and/ordifferences in relative ability. In a laboratory experiment, we use two tasks thatdiffer regarding perceptions about which gender outperforms the other. Weobserve women s underperformance only under two conditions: 1) tasks areperceived as favoring men and 2) rivals gender is explicitly mentioned. Thisresult can be explained by stereotype-threat being reinforced when explicitlymentioning gender in tasks in which women already consider they are inferior.Omitting information about gender is a safe alternative to avoid women sunderperformance in competition.

Two-sided learning in New Keynesian models: Dynamics, (lack of) convergence and the value of information

This paper investigates the role of learning by private agents and the central bank(two-sided learning) in a New Keynesian framework in which both sides of the economyhave asymmetric and imperfect knowledge about the true data generating process. Weassume that all agents employ the data that they observe (which may be distinct fordifferent sets of agents) to form beliefs about unknown aspects of the true model ofthe economy, use their beliefs to decide on actions, and revise these beliefs througha statistical learning algorithm as new information becomes available. We study theshort-run dynamics of our model and derive its policy recommendations, particularlywith respect to central bank communications. We demonstrate that two-sided learningcan generate substantial increases in volatility and persistence, and alter the behaviorof the variables in the model in a significant way. Our simulations do not convergeto a symmetric rational expectations equilibrium and we highlight one source thatinvalidates the convergence results of Marcet and Sargent (1989). Finally, we identifya novel aspect of central bank communication in models of learning: communicationcan be harmful if the central bank's model is substantially mis-specified.

Heterogeneous information and trade policy

Protectionism enjoys surprising popular support, in spite of deadweight losses. At thesame time, trade barriers appear to decline with public information about protection.This paper develops an electoral model with heterogeneously informed voters whichexplains both facts and predicts the pattern of trade policy across industries. In themodel, each agent endogenously acquires more information about his sector of employment. As a result, voters support protectionism, because they learn more about thetrade barriers that help them as producers than those that hurt them as consumers.In equilibrium, asymmetric information induces a universal protectionist bias. Thestructure of protection is Pareto inefficient, in contrast to existing models. The modelpredicts a Dracula effect: trade policy for a sector is less protectionist when there ismore public information about it. Using a measure of newspaper coverage across industries, I find that cross-sector evidence from the United States bears out my theoreticalpredictions.

Relação dos Estagiários e seus Orientadores com as TIC: um Estudo Realizado no Ano Letivo 2011/2012 no Departamento de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade de Cabo Verde

No contexto das atividades de formação de professores ao nível da Universidade Pública de Cabo Verde (Uni-CV), constatamos que existem algumas dificuldades associadas ao funcionamento dos estágios pedagógicos, que consideramos poderem ser superadas com recurso às tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TIC). Entendemos que o estágio curricular constitui uma das etapas decisivas para os futuros docentes de ensino secundário no país, garantindo-lhes a oportunidade de contato com estratégias de trabalho atuais e inovadoras para esses contextos. Esta comunicação enquadra-se num processo de investigação-ação que pretende dinamizar as metodologias de trabalho com os estagiários e seus orientadores no Departamento de Ciências Sociais e Humanas no campus do Palmarejo da Uni-CV. Para tal, pretende-se recorrer à dinamização de um espaço virtual na Moodle, de forma a superar algumas das dificuldades previamente identificadas. Os dados aqui apresentados resultam de um diagnóstico de necessidades de formação e representam uma breve avaliação das condições existentes para o acompanhamento dos estágios pedagógicos através de um ambiente online, onde se constatou que os estagiários e seus orientadores, além de serem utilizadores e terem bons conhecimentos das TIC, gostariam de poder contar com um espaço virtual que os apoiasse ao longo de todo o estágio.

Ethics and creative accounting: Some empirical evidence on accounting for intangibles in Spain

Recent research shows that financial reports are losing relevance. Mainly thisis due to the growing strategic importance of intangible assets in theperformance of a company. A possible solution is to modify accounting standardsso that statements include more self-generated intangible assets, taking intoaccount with their inherent risk and difficulty of valuation. We surveyed loanofficers who were asked to assess the credit-worthiness of a hypotheticalcompany. The only information given was a simplified version of financialstatements. Half the group got statements where research and development costshad been capitalized. The other half got statements in which these costs hadbeen treated as an expense. The findings show that capitalization wassignificantly more likely to attract a positive response to a loan request. Thepaper raises the question of whether accounting for intangibles might providemanagers with one more creative accounting technique and, in consequence, itsethical implications.

Department of Ethics and Campaign Disclosure, FY 2007

These Facts sheets have been developed to provide a multitude of information about executive branch agencies/departments on a single sheet of paper. The Facts provides general information, contact information, workforce data, leave & benefits information, and affirmative action data. This is the most recent update of information for the fiscal year 2007.

Department of Ethics and Campaign Disclosure, FY 2008

These Facts sheets have been developed to provide a multitude of information about executive branch agencies/departments on a single sheet of paper. The Facts provides general information, contact information, workforce data, leave & benefits information, and affirmative action data. This is the most recent update of information for the fiscal year 2007.

La médecine personnalisée: enjeux éthiques Réflexion autour de l'information aux participants à la recherche en génétique

Suite à la découverte du génome, les patients peuvent bénéficier aujourd'hui, d'une approche préventive, prédictive, voire personnalisée de leur prise en charge. Si la médecine personnalisée devient courante, la « généralisation» de l'information génétique nous amènera probablement à établir de nouveaux standards sociaux et éthiques, car si celle-ci permet une plus grande efficacité dans les soins en aidant à la prise de décision, elle apporte une connaissance inédite de l'homme en terme de risque et de susceptibilité face à la maladie, mais aussi des informations propres à l'individu pouvant mener à la discrimination. Sommes- nous prêts à gérer cette information ? Dans ce travail, nous allons nous intéresser au traitement de l'information lors des tests génétiques en recherche. L'hypothèse de travail étant que l'information génétique est une nouvelle donnée biologique individuelle dont il faut tenir compte dans la prise en charge des participants à la recherche. Pour entamer la réflexion, une revue de la littérature a permis de mettre en évidence les spécificités de la recherche en génétique. Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons effectué une analyse comparative des feuilles d'information et des formulaires de consentement destinés aux participants à dix-sept protocoles de recherches impliquant des tests génétiques au CHUV à Lausanne en Suisse. Cette analyse a permis de faire un état des lieux des pratiques actuelles dans la région et elle est le point de départ d'une mise en perspective des enjeux éthiques liés la question. Les résultats montrent des inégalités entre les différentes feuilles d'information et formulaires de consentement de notre échantillon lausannois en ce qui concerne la restitution des résultats, la confidentialité des données ou encore la possibilité de participer à de futures recherches. Nous en concluons qu'il serait intéressant de travailler à une standardisation de ces documents et une éducation plus large à ce sujet.

Plan estratégico 2012-2105 para la empresa Automatizaciones Eléctricas, SL

La empresa moderna, se encuentra en una situación actual de incertidumbre en la que además está más expuesta a factores externos con el aumento de la competencia y el impacto de la globalización. Se enfrenta a un panorama que debe ser gestionado adecuadamente para asegurar su supervivencia y el éxito de su existencia. En este TFC, se presenta una de las herramientas ‘buque insignia’ del Management moderno, aquella que está destinada a ser la base de la Gestión de la empresa y que cada vez más se hace imprescindible para la construcción de un futuro cada vez más incierto, la Planificación Estratégica. El Plan Estratégico 2012-2015 de AESL se desarrolla en varios apartados que intentarán dar con las claves de la dirección que la empresa debe seguir y propone los objetivos que encontrará a través de la puesta en marcha de las acciones y estrategias determinadas. La primera etapa, y la más extensa, realiza un Análisis de la situación externa e interna de la empresa además de un Diagnóstico de la misma. Se analizan diversos factores que pueden contribuir o hacer peligrar el futuro de la empresa, y constituye el punto de partida de la planificación. En la segunda etapa, y con la información de la anterior fase, comienza la fijación de los Objetivos Corporativos y la definición de las Decisiones Estratégicas que han de transformar nuestro rumbo actual en el logro de esos objetivos. Las estrategias no sólo comportarán un ámbito corporativo, también se centrarán en estrategias funcionales con un carácter más definitorio en el interior de la empresa. Por último, la tercera y última etapa, aglutinará todas estas Decisiones estratégicas para transformarlas en las Decisiones Operativas, aquellas que se encargarán de gestionar el día a día de la empresa a través de los Planes de Acción, que suponen la etapa de mayor concreción del Plan. Este Plan a 3 años deberá erigirse como la herramienta de planificación más importante de la empresa, debiendo guiar las principales decisiones tomadas y convirtiéndose en un instrumento de consulta no sólo para decidir hoy lo que se hará en el futuro sino también para mantener unos niveles altos de competitividad en el tremendo esfuerzo que supone la gestión de una PYME.

Decoding stimulus-related information from single-trial EEG responses based on voltage topographies

Neuroimaging studies typically compare experimental conditions using average brain responses, thereby overlooking the stimulus-related information conveyed by distributed spatio-temporal patterns of single-trial responses. Here, we take advantage of this rich information at a single-trial level to decode stimulus-related signals in two event-related potential (ERP) studies. Our method models the statistical distribution of the voltage topographies with a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), which reduces the dataset to a number of representative voltage topographies. The degree of presence of these topographies across trials at specific latencies is then used to classify experimental conditions. We tested the algorithm using a cross-validation procedure in two independent EEG datasets. In the first ERP study, we classified left- versus right-hemifield checkerboard stimuli for upper and lower visual hemifields. In a second ERP study, when functional differences cannot be assumed, we classified initial versus repeated presentations of visual objects. With minimal a priori information, the GMM model provides neurophysiologically interpretable features - vis à vis voltage topographies - as well as dynamic information about brain function. This method can in principle be applied to any ERP dataset testing the functional relevance of specific time periods for stimulus processing, the predictability of subject's behavior and cognitive states, and the discrimination between healthy and clinical populations.

Principis deontològics dels professionals de la informació i la documentació: el codi de l'European Council of Information Associations (ECIA)

Qualsevol professió té, o hauria de tenir, un codi de regles ètiques que els seus membres normalment respecten i que fan servir com a guia en el cas que hagin de prendre decisions moralment difícils. Durant la reunió celebrada el novembre de 1998 a Lisboa, les associacions membres de l'ECIA van acordar adoptar un codi ètic que fos vàlid per als professionals de tots els països de la Unió Europea. Aquest codi no pot ser més que un enunciat de principis generals i deixa en mans de cada associació la facultat de desenvolupar-lo per tal que respongui a necessitats especials o nacionals. Un primer projecte fou presentat i discutit a la reunió de l'ECIA de març de 1999. La present revisió incorpora les modificacions proposades aleshores, elements provinents de codis d'altres organitzacions que foren presentats en la reunió a la consideració de l'autor, així com alguns aclariments.