Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Social sciences

Functions of the European Parliament

Legislative Role

Parliament participates alongside the Council in the legislative process. The standard procedure for approving legislation is codecision, where Parliament and the Council are on equal footing and adopt standards using this procedure. Parliament has limited powers in drafting legislation.

Budgetary Function

This function gives Parliament significant power because it can modify and change the spending approved by the Council. Parliament must approve the EU budget jointly with the Council and may make modifications. Parliament's budgetary control committee monitors how the budget is spent.

Democratic Role

Parliament exercises a supervisory role over the Commission. When appointing a new Commission,... Continue reading "Understanding the EU: Parliament, Council, and Commission" »

Retail Theft Prevention: A Case Study

Mirrors were placed in various locations in the store to improve visibility for the cashier. Of the three measures investigated, the redesign of the store gave the best results. Thefts were significantly reduced. The least effective was the recruitment of a security guard, as it was also the most costly of the three.

The prevention plan should also include training employees on what to do about suspicious customers and how to maintain control without annoying them. It is important to encourage employees to reduce theft, for example, by giving them a bonus if they manage to reduce losses of goods or by hiring more staff during hours and days when employees are overwhelmed by sales.

Is Spain a Violent Country?

Marx's Materialist Philosophy: Labor and Social Structures

Marx adopted Hegel's dialectical method, which involves evolving through affirmation and negation to reach an improved state. For Marx, the only reality that evolves is matter. Humans, as beings of flesh and bone, work and develop themselves throughout history by transforming society and nature. Thus, humans are active and practical beings, with work as their primary activity. This is why the Marxist system is called materialism: work puts humans in relation to nature and with other humans, thereby building society. Human essence, therefore, is the set of social relations. These social relations determine human consciousness. However, in capitalist society, where the worker is employed,

Influences of the ILE

A. Mission Bulletin

The Mission Bulletin was a means to explore the intellectual connections of the institution. This magazine served as a link between all its supporters, and between them and the main currents of thought (in general) and pedagogical concerns (in particular) that were happening in Spain and abroad. It was the best of the Spanish educational journals, offering a broad horizon to both Spanish and foreign readers, mainly from France, as many reports came from there (it had exchanges with other foreign publications).

B. Influence on Spain's Intellectual Wealth

The ILE influenced various schools, for example, the ILE de Bilbao and the ILE de Sabadell. The ILE de Madrid (Center) enjoyed an indisputable authority.... Continue reading "The ILE: Shaping Education and Intellect in Spain" »

José Ortega y Gasset: Influences and Context

Influences

Received Influences

1. Early Objectivism (until 1914): Ortega y Gasset's early philosophy was influenced by German neo-Kantianism, particularly the work of Hermann Cohen and Paul Natorp. He embraced the importance of reason and its connection to objective, universal, and scientific thought.
2. Perspectivism (1914-1923): In this phase, Ortega y Gasset sought to move beyond the limitations of modernity. He aimed to transcend rationalism and idealism without reverting to earlier philosophical forms like relativism and realism.
3. Wilhelm Dilthey: Ortega y Gasset was influenced by Dilthey's emphasis on history for understanding human reality (historical reason) and the importance of "understanding" as

Biographies and Literary Analysis

Homer's Biography: His literary value has remained influential through the centuries. His work is timeless. Cervantes' Biography: Miguel de Cervantes, a Spanish novelist and dramatic poet, was born on September 29, 1547, and died on April 22, 1616, in Madrid. He is considered a top figure in Spanish literature. The Martian Chronicles: This work reveals an atmosphere of terror and loneliness, with a great narrative culture and intense irony. Its intention was a humanist speech. Alejo Carpio's Biography: A novelist, essayist, and Cuban musicologist who greatly influenced Latin American literature. He began studying architecture but failed. He then worked as a journalist and participated in leftist political movements.... Continue reading "Literary Figures: Homer, Cervantes, Carpio, and Classical Greece" »

Communication was essential. This led to the growth of the metallurgical industry, particularly around Maquinista Barcelona. During the last quarter of the 19th century, many factories were located near rivers to utilize hydropower, explaining the proliferation of industrial settlements in these areas.

Rising prices, caused by a lack of energy sources, made Catalan textile products uncompetitive. Catalan industrialists requested protectionist tariffs from the central government to monopolize the Spanish and colonial markets.

The Evolution of the Labor Movement

Labor organizations were divided between anarchists and Marxists. During the first seven years of the Restoration under Cánovas, labor organizations operated underground.

The Restoration... Continue reading "Labor Movements and Social Change in 19th Century Spain" »

Demography can be defined as the science that observes, describes, and analyzes the population of a territory. The study of population can be dynamic, referring to its evolution over time, mobility, and distribution in space, or static, analyzing the structure of the population at a specific time.

The goal of demography is to understand the problems linked to population growth and to establish and develop models for future predictions. Currently, local, regional, and state governments need reliable data on the population to organize and plan economic and social activities efficiently. Worldwide, the concern is to implement demographic policies to correct the effects of population explosion in the third world, where the imbalance between population... Continue reading "Understanding Population Dynamics: A Demographic Analysis" »

General Methodological Procedures

Analysis

The decomposition of a whole into its parts.

Summary

A composition or reduction of the whole from its parts. A physical or mental return to the compound from its elements.

Introduction: Special Cases to Generalizations

• Complete: Takes into account all particular things.
• Incomplete: Not all cases are considered.

Deduction

From a general statement, we arrive at the explanation of a particular case.

Reduction

A conditional, from least known to most known (if A, then B. Thus, if B, then A).

Explanation

Used in natural sciences. Aims to establish a link between two things by establishing a cause-and-effect relationship. It aims to link events and fix them into law.

Comprehension

A method related to human relationships,... Continue reading "Methodological Procedures and Scientific Progress" »

Management Theories and Principles

Key Figures in Management

Taylor: American industrial engineer who applied the scientific method to human work, aiming to achieve cooperation between workers and management. He advocated for a clear division between management and workers and providing a stipend.

Fayol: French engineer and economist known for principles such as division of labor, authority and responsibility, discipline, unity of command and direction, and subordination of particular interest to the general team spirit.

Core Management Functions

Planning

The objective is to decide what to achieve, including actions and responsibilities. Key steps include:

1. Determine the mission and the main objectives.
2. Develop the strategy.
3. Implement the plan.

Strategic