ECONÓMICAS CUC

Breaking barriers: Women’s participation and leadership in customs agencies in Nicaragua

Georvany Salgado Arauz — Thu, 08 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

International trade and customs operations are critical to economic growth in Central America, but gender disparities persist in access to leadership and professional opportunities within this sector. This study focuses on assessing the barriers to women's participation in customs agencies in Nicaragua, with the objective of identifying both the obstacles and opportunities they face in their professional development. A descriptive and correlational approach was applied, analyzing variables of labor participation and professional growth through a mixed method with a bibliographic design and data collection techniques such as questionnaires and observation. The study population consisted of 60 women working in these agencies, from which a probabilistic random sample of 53 was selected. The data were tabulated with the SPSS program and reliability was verified with Cronbach's alpha. The results reveal that only 25% of women hold managerial positions, while 70% reported having experienced discrimination in the workplace. In addition, 85% of female respondents face cultural barriers that limit their participation and career advancement. The results suggest the need for inclusive policies and training programs to promote gender balance in the customs sector. Creating a work environment that promotes equity and professional development for women would not only benefit female employees, but would also contribute to the growth and competitiveness of the Nicaraguan customs sector.

Literature analysis on trends and scientific contributions on Neuromarketing from 2007 to 2023

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Neuromarketing, an emerging field that merges neuroscience and marketing, has shown remarkable growth since 2007, with more than 597 publications in Scopus. This growing interest drives the need to understand its evolution and areas of focus. This research analyzes the scientific literature on Neuromarketing to identify its trends, key knowledge agents and predominant lines of research between 2007 and 2023. Bibliometrics was used as a method, with a robust approach to systematic literature review, which allowed us to analyze the internal structure of the field, its main currents and future directions. It was found that Neuromarketing research is global, with participation from 71 countries. Europe leads the scientific production with 52%, followed by Asia (25%) and America (20%), highlighting the worldwide interest in the application of neuroscience to consumer behavior. It is concluded that through the analysis of co-occurrence of terms, five main thematic clusters were identified, including consumer brain behavior and neuromarketing tools, evidencing the diversity and depth of research in the field. These categories reveal the current and future directions that define the cutting edge of neuromarketing.

Knowledge acquired from Corporate Social Responsibility: Do students from different universities in Ecuador learn the same?

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Theoretical and practical knowledge acquired by students in careers that shape future business professionals (such as Administration, Accounting, Marketing, etc.) is a matter that has been scarcely researched. Specifically, whether students of universities located in the same country gain the same knowledge of this subject has not been researched. This topic is relevant as there is no theoretical consensus on the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility, and this lack of consensus could affect its teaching. This work aims to identify the knowledge held by students of universities in the same country and determine whether differences exist between students from different universities. A questionnaire was administered to 516 students from four universities in Ecuador, which included a set of five indicators to operationalize theoretical knowledge and another set of 18 indicators to operationalize practical knowledge of Corporate Social Responsibility. It was found that Ecuadorian students know the main theoretical concepts that are used to define this responsibility and the main specific responsibilities that involve their application in enterprises. Additionally, it was found that there are no significant conceptual differences between students of different universities. It is concluded that universities in Ecuador include content on the main theoretical and practical aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility, and that the content taught is relatively similar across universities in the country. This work contributes to the field of study of Corporate Social Responsibility, both for its results as well as for the strategy utilized. Additionally, these results can be useful for those who design study plans for these careers and for professors that teach the contents of Corporate Social Responsibility in them.

Management skills and internal competitiveness in wood craft famiempresas: An empirical study

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Family businesses in the wood sector face the challenge of combining tradition with the need to be competitive in an increasingly demanding and dynamic market. This article aims to determine the incidence of managerial skills on the internal competitiveness of handcrafted wooden furniture family businesses in the city of Sincelejo. The research adopts a quantitative approach with a non-experimental, transversal, and descriptive design. A survey-type instrument prepared by the researchers, with 31 statements on a Likert scale, was applied to a sample of 16 family businesses. The results revealed a robust positive evaluation between managerial skills and the internal competitiveness of the family businesses. It is concluded that human, technical, and conceptual managerial skills are the most valuable assets for organizations in the contemporary business environment, contributing significantly to their competitiveness and sustainable success.

Transaction Costs in the Health Sector: An Analysis from the Literature

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The theory of transaction costs, developed by Ronald Coase, addresses the expenses organizations incur when outsourcing services or engaging in market-based transactions. This study reviewed 158 scholarly publications from 18 countries to analyze how healthcare sector organizations understand and apply transaction cost theory within their organizational processes and structures through the lens of existing literature. The review identifies the principal categories and criteria associated with transaction costs and their influence on decision-making processes. A systematic search was carried out using databases such as Scielo, EBSCOhost, and OCÉANO Digital, in addition to Google Scholar, employing Boolean search equations. The studies were classified according to database source, document type, and language, resulting in the identification of four categories, two criteria, and eight subcategories. Following an in-depth literature analysis, the study highlights that organizations often modify their structures and processes, frequently adopting strategies such as vertical integration or outsourcing, as mechanisms to reduce transaction costs. Despite the widespread theoretical application of transaction cost economics, the findings reveal a notable scarcity of documented implementation within healthcare organizations. This evidences a gap in empirical research specific to the health sector. Furthermore, the study underscores the need to develop tailored tools to mitigate uncertainty in managerial decision-making, enabling a more effective and context-sensitive application of transaction cost theory in organizational practices.

Inflation targeting and interest rate in Colombia, 2005-2023

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article analyzes monetary policy in Colombia, emphasizing the inflation targeting strategy and the role of the Central Bank as the central regulatory authority. During 2021 and 2022, the Colombian economy faced strong pressures stemming from the global context resulting from the post-pandemic situation, which created significant challenges for macroeconomic stability. In response to this situation, the Banco de la República decided to adopt alternative measures to traditional intervention rate increases, prioritizing mechanisms aimed at limiting capital inflows and private sector external debt. The article examines the effects of the intervention rate on inflation in the period 2005–2023, using a structural Vector Autoregression with exogenous variables (VAR-X) model. It highlights the need to incorporate both internal and external factors into monetary policy decision-making, given the growing degree of global economic interdependence. The findings highlight that, beyond rate adjustments, it is essential to implement complementary measures that reduce vulnerability to external shocks, ensuring a more comprehensive and effective response to inflationary pressures.