The Optimism–Pessimism Short Scale–2 (SOP2): a comprehensive validation of the English-language adaptation

The Optimism–Pessimism Short Scale–2 (SOP2) described in this article measures the psychological disposition of optimism with two items. SOP2 is the English-language adaptation of an originally for the German language developed scale. Because an empirical validation of this English-language SOP2 was hitherto lacking, the aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties (objectivity, reliability, validity) of the English-language adaptation and to investigate measurement invariance across both language versions using heterogeneous quota samples from the UK and Germany. Our results show that the English-language adaptation has satisfactory reliability coefficients and is correlated with 10 external variables in the study (e.g., self-esteem, Emotional Stability, life satisfaction). Moreover, scalar measurement invariance of the scale holds when comparing the UK and Germany, implying the comparability of latent (co)variances and latent means across the two nations. As an ultra-short scale with a completion time of < 20 s, SOP2 lends itself particularly to the assessment of dispositional optimism in survey contexts in which assessment time or questionnaire space are limited. It can be applied in a variety of research disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, or economics.

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS ON THE MEANING OF A CRITICAL APPROACH TO FEMINISTIC THEORY

A critical theory of communication (or economics, or politics) needs to involve a critique of society as a whole. Critical communication theory deals with a variety of relevant topics, including language, organizational structure, interpersonal relations, and the media. Communication itself according to a critical perspective is a result of the pressure (tension) between individual creativity in providing a framework for messages and social constraints. Development in the millennium era The Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) have one of the goals of which is towards the equal partnership of men and women by increasing justice and gender equality in every development sector. However, the problem of gender inequality is indicated by the low quality of life and the role of women, the high number of acts of violence against women as measured by the Gender-related Development Index (GDI) and the Gender Empowerment Index (GEM). The research method used is qualitative in a literature review approach

Understanding Stakeholder Synergies Through System Dynamics: Integrating Multi-Sectoral Stakeholder Narratives Into Quantitative Environmental Models

To reach the global aspiration of 17 ambitious SDGs, local realities must be integrated. Often, models are developed based on quantitative statistical data sources from databases on environmental indicators or economics to assess how a given SDG can be achieved. This process however removes the local realities from the equation. How can you best include stakeholders in this mathematical modelling processes distanced from their local realities, though, and ensure higher probability of future compliance with top-down global decisions that may have local consequences once implemented? When researching stakeholder involvement and their ability to form public policy, their opinions often get reported as a single assessment, like counting the fish in the ocean once and stating that as a permanent result. Too seldom do stakeholders get invited back and given the opportunity to validate results and allow researchers to adjust their models based on on-the-ground validation or change requests. We tested the full integration of stakeholders in the modelling process of environmental topics in six different case areas across Europe, with each area holding six sectoral and one inter-sectoral workshops. In these workshops, the scope of the issues relevant to the stakeholders was driven by first the sectoral priorities of the given sector, followed by a merging of issues. In this process, we were able to identify what the commonalities between different sectors were and where synergies lay in terms of governance paths. These results were then returned to the stakeholders in a mixed session where they were able to come with feedback and advice on the results researchers presented, so that the models reflected more closely the perceptions of the regional actors. We present these methods and reflect on the challenges and opportunities of using this deep-integration method to integrate qualitative data from stakeholder inclusion in a quantitative model.

Game Theory Basics

Game theory is the science of interaction. This textbook, derived from courses taught by the author and developed over several years, is a comprehensive, straightforward introduction to the mathematics of non-cooperative games. It teaches what every game theorist should know: the important ideas and results on strategies, game trees, utility theory, imperfect information, and Nash equilibrium. The proofs of these results, in particular existence of an equilibrium via fixed points, and an elegant direct proof of the minimax theorem for zero-sum games, are presented in a self-contained, accessible way. This is complemented by chapters on combinatorial games like Go; and, it has introductions to algorithmic game theory, traffic games, and the geometry of two-player games. This detailed and lively text requires minimal mathematical background and includes many examples, exercises, and pictures. It is suitable for self-study or introductory courses in mathematics, computer science, or economics departments.

But Is It Buddhist?

In If You Meet the Buddha on the Road: Buddhism, Politics, and Violence, Michael Jerryson reports that his research on Buddhist violence frequently elicits two responses. The first is that the violence he has analyzed is not really Buddhist because true Buddhists are non-violent. The second is that instances of putatively Buddhist violence are not really Buddhist because they are ultimately about something besides religion, such as ethnicity, politics, or economics. This paper offers a thoroughgoing refutation of both of these responses. First, there is no principled way to establish the claim that true Buddhists are non-violent. Second, the claim that putatively Buddhist violence is ultimately about something besides religion does not provide reason against classifying the violence as “Buddhist.”

Contribution of Factors Affecting Crop Production in Bangladesh: An Empirical Analysis with Production Function Approach

Bangladesh has achieved a tremendous success in food production in last few decades amidst challenges of land degradation, land use changes and climate effect. In spite of the increasing trend of yields of crops, there still remain some challenges to meet the growing needs due to increase in population and loss of land to development activities. This study aims to identify the rate of contributions or economics of factors of crop production in Bangladesh. Cobb-Douglas production function has been applied in this study of crop production using a number of production factors within the broad terms land, labour and capital. Secondary data, representing factors of production, have been selected based on literature reviews so that they can be appropriate for this study. Data of crop production have been considered as dependent variables, whereas, land area coverage for agricultural production, labour employed in agriculture, agricultural household expenditure, fertilizer applied and irrigation coverage have been considered as independent variables. Land and labour is negatively correlated with crop production, whereas, fertilizer is positively correlated. Crop production which shows decreasing return to scale deserves the adoption of new technology and good agricultural management practices.

O Profissional de Custos e as Competências Buscadas Pelas Empresas em Anúncios de Emprego

Resumo A busca por desenvolver uma vantagem competitiva diante de mercados globalizados e de alta concorrência faz com que as empresas necessitem de profissionais multifacetados para o desenvolvimento das suas operações. A presente pesquisa visa apresentar quais são as principais competências buscadas pelas empresas, quando necessitam contratar profissionais para o seu setor de cursos, para atingir tal objetivo, foi realizado um levantamento de 63 vagas de empregos no setor de custo nos maiores sites de vagas do Brasil. Concluiu-se que perfil do profissional de custo possui Graduação em Ciências Contábeis, Administração ou Economia, também possui Pós-graduação, fala uma segunda língua, possui experiência no setor de custos e, também, domina o pacote office da Microsoft e softwares ERP’s. Palavras-chave: Estratégia. Competências. Perfil profissional. AbstractThe search to develop a competitive advantage in the face of globalized and high competition markets makes companies need multifaceted professionals for the development of their operations. This research aims to present what the main competencies sought by companies are when they need to hire professionals for their course sector, in order to achieve this objective, a survey of 63 job vacancies in the cost sector was carried out on the largest vacancy sites in Brazil. It was concluded that the cost professional’s profile has a degree in accounting, administration or economics, also has a postgraduate degree, speaks a second language, has experience in the cost sector and also dominates the Microsoft office suite and ERP's software. Keywords: Strategy. Skills. Professional Profile.

Novel interfaces in science communication: Comparing journalistic and social media uptake of articles published by The Conversation Africa

Science amplifier platforms such as The Conversation have gained popularity in a changing media ecosystem in which the traditional roles of journalists are eroded, and scientists are urged to engage with society. The Conversation constitutes a blend of scientific communication, public science communication and science journalism, and a convergence of the professional worlds of science and journalism. In this study, we investigated the nature and impact of the Africa-focussed edition of this platform, The Conversation Africa. We analysed articles published over a 5-year period since its launch in 2015 ( N = 5392). Contents from South Africa dominate the platform, but contributions from other African countries are increasing. Regarding the role of The Conversation Africa as an inter-media agenda setter, mainstream media more often republished stories related to politics or economics, while stories about social issues such as education, conservation and art were more often shared on social media.

Fostering Education for Circular Economy through Life Cycle Thinking

Since 2002, the University of the Basque Country has supported several teaching experiences related to the so-called Life Cycle Thinking and Ecodesign in collaboration with local and regional public institutions and private companies. The implementation of a Master’s Degree entitled ‘Circular Economy: Business Application’ constitutes a milestone in the framework of these teaching experiences. From the very moment the European Green Deal was approved and, subsequently, before the state and regional strategies were launched, thanks to our prior experience, we have been able to offer the postgraduate course required by our administration and companies. The courses have been specifically designed to provide education for Circular Economy for new graduates as well as professionals with backgrounds as varied as product manufacturing engineering, environmental engineering, business administration or economics. It aims to become a European reference in its goal of promoting Circular Economy, life cycle thinking, ecodesign, industrial symbiosis and sustainable development and, at the same time, support the transition to circular economy in our region. As a result, in just two years the master’s degree has led to the creation within our university of a knowledge hub in Circular Economy, which hosts more than 20 research groups.