Centro de Investigación en Empresa, Sociedad y Tecnología

Parent Organisation

Country

Description

El Centro de Investigación en Empresa, Sociedad y Tecnología -ESTec tiene como misión la investigación del comportamiento de organizaciones, empresas e individuos en relación con la selección y uso de tecnologías y el desarrollo de innovaciones. Adicionalmente, el ESTec se interesa por investigar el comportamiento humano y organizacional en el marco de los esfuerzos de sostenibilidad que llevan adelante nuestras sociedades.

El ESTec mediante sus esfuerzos de investigación busca generar conocimiento útil para la sociedad y para sus integrantes a fin de que puedan aprovechar los avances de la tecnología y contribuir a un desarrollo sostenible.

Now showing 1 - 10 of 72

Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Electronic Word of Mouth and Sustainability: A Bibliometric Approach
(Springer Nature Switzerland, 2026)
Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge
;
Ramos-Galarza, Carlos
;
Palacio-Fierro, Andrés
;
Guadalupe-Lanas, Jorge
Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) is a type of human-computer interaction that comprises simple, two-way communication, disseminating information about companies, brands, and products through digital spaces. Given the significant interest in eWOM, various extant studies have sought to structure this field of study through a bibliometric approach. As the literature on eWOM has continued to grow, bibliometric studies on eWOM have begun to be specialized. Following this line of work, the present bibliometric study seeks to unravel eWOM’s structure as it applies to sustainability, a topic of great current importance. Using the Scopus database, 1,968 documents were identified. Descriptive and productivity analyses characterize the field of eWOM and sustainability as a rapidly growing and multidisciplinary field, in which China and the United States stand out in the literature. Science mapping analyses have identified four clusters of terms associated with research lines: 1) human behavior in eWOM, 2) social aspects of eWOM and sustainability, 3) eWOM’s impact on sustainability and tourism, and 4) eWOM’s technological aspects and measurement. The overlay visualization of term analysis reveals an evolution in research interest, progressing from technological aspects, through economic and behavioral aspects, to the current emphasis on sustainability and tourism. Finally, this study discusses these results’ implications for theory and practice. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Analysis of YOLOv26 Variants (Nano to Extra-Large) for Real-Time Weapon Detection in Video Surveillance
(IEEE, 2026-07)
Fierro Silva, Carlos Julio
;
Del-Valle-Soto, Carolina
;
Varela Aldas, José
Real-time weapon detection in video surveillance systems is a critical requirement for proactive security applications, particularly under the computational and latency constraints imposed by edge artificial intelligence deployments. While the YOLO family of object detectors has undergone continuous architectural evolution, the recently introduced YOLOv26 represents a significant redesign aimed at improving efficiency, stability, and deployment suitability across a wide range of hardware platforms. This work presents a comprehensive and homogeneous experimental evaluation of the full YOLOv26 model family, ranging from nano (YOLOv26n) to extra-large (YOLOv26x) variants, for real-time weapon detection in surveillance imagery. All models are trained and evaluated under identical conditions using a dataset that explicitly includes visually similar non-weapon objects as hard negatives, enabling a realistic assessment of false positives and false negatives in safety critical scenarios. The analysis encompasses training and validation dynamics, precision, recall evolution, mean Average Precision (mAP) at multiple IoU thresholds, class-wise confusion matrices, and inference latency. Results show that performance improves consistently from smaller to medium sized models, with YOLOv26m achieving the most balanced trade off between detection accuracy, robustness, and computational cost. Larger variants provide marginal accuracy gains at significantly higher complexity, revealing diminishing returns for edge oriented deployments. Overall, the findings demonstrate that the YOLOv26 architecture offers a scalable and mature detection framework, where model selection can be guided by explicit operational criteria rather than raw accuracy alone. This study establishes a strong baseline for future work on real world edge deployment, multi camera surveillance systems, and hardware aware optimization of next generation YOLO detectors. © 2026 IEEE.
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Predictive Motivations in Satisfaction and Loyalty in Sustainable Coastal and Marine Destinations: Galapagos National Park, Ecuador
(MDPI AG, 2026-08-06)
Carvache-Franco, Mauricio
;
Núñez-Naranjo, Aracelly Fernanda
;
Carvache-Franco, Orly
;
Torres-Naranjo, Mónica
;
Carvache-Franco, Wilmer
Studying sustainability in marine and coastal tourism within national parks is essential to balance visitor use with the conservation of fragile ecosystems and biodiversity. In this context, the Galápagos Archipelago is a major coastal and marine destination in Ecuador, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The aim of this empirical study was (i) to identify the principal motivational dimensions in sustainable coastal and marine destinations; (ii) to determine which motivations significantly predict tourist satisfaction in these contexts; and (iii) to establish which motivations influence loyalty in sustainable coastal and marine destinations. The research was conducted in situ, obtaining 407 valid questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis and exploratory factor analysis were applied. The results reveal six motivational factors: learning; heritage and nature; sun and beach; sports; authentic coastal experience; novelty; and social interaction. The motivation that most strongly predicts satisfaction is heritage and nature, followed by novelty. Likewise, the motivation that most strongly predicts loyalty is heritage and nature, with additional influence from sun and beach and sports motivations. These findings provide practical guidance for the development of sustainable destination management plans and contribute to the academic literature on sustainability, satisfaction, and loyalty in coastal and marine tourism contexts. © 2026 by the authors.
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Comparative analysis of previous YOLO detectors and YOLOv26s for real-time weapon detection in video surveillance
(Frontiers Media SA, 2026-04-28)
Fierro Silva, Carlos Julio
;
Del-Valle-Soto, Carolina
;
Bran, Carlos
;
Varela Aldas, José
Real-time weapon detection in video surveillance is a critical capability for artificial intelligence assisted security systems, particularly in scenarios constrained by low latency, limited computational resources, and strict power efficiency requirements typical of edge artificial intelligence deployments. This work presents a comparative analysis of lightweight YOLO based object detectors, namely YOLOv8s, YOLOv9s, YOLOv10s, and YOLOv11s, vs. the recently introduced YOLOv26s model. In contrast to conventional benchmarking studies, this work extends the evaluation to real-world edge deployment conditions using an NVIDIA Jetson Nano device, explicitly measuring end-to-end latency, including preprocessing, inference, and post-processing stages. While earlier YOLO variants primarily relied on convolutional neural network architectures and intermediate explorations such as attention centered designs aimed to improve detection accuracy, YOLOv26 represents a paradigm shift by being designed from the ground up for low power edge devices, emphasizing architectural simplicity and deployment efficiency. To ensure a fair and reproducible evaluation, all models are trained on the same weapon detection dataset under a unified experimental protocol using small scale variants.The experimental results reveal that, despite exhibiting comparable inference times, different models show significantly different real-time performance due to variations in post-processing complexity. Specifically, models such as YOLOv8s, YOLOv9s, and YOLOv11s incur a substantial post-processing overhead, whereas YOLOv10s and YOLOv26s produce compact output representations that drastically reduce post-processing cost.This leads to a clear separation in deployment behavior, where end-to-end latency is reduced from approximately 300 ms to 125–130 ms, effectively doubling the achievable frame rate on embedded hardware. Rather than proposing a universal ranking, the study analyzes the trade offs introduced by architectural evolution and optimization strategies, providing technical criteria to support model selection under resource constrained deployment scenarios and demonstrating that post-processing efficiency, rather than inference speed alone, is the dominant factor in real-time edge performance. Copyright © 2026 Fierro Silva, Del-Valle-Soto, Bran and Varela-Aldás.
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Institutional trauma, absence of accountability, and psychopathology in a juvenile serial homicide case
(Frontiers Media SA, 2026-05-25)
Ramos Galarza, Carlos
;
Obregón, Jennifer
;
Guerrero, Brenda
;
Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge
Juan Fernando Hermosa, infamously known as “The Child of Terror, ” committed 23 murders in Ecuador between 1991 and 1992. This perspective article offers a conceptual and theoretical analysis of the interplay between institutional trauma, accountability, and psychopathology in juvenile justice settings, using Hermosa’s trajectory as an illustrative example. Drawing on publicly available judicial records, academic literature, and journalistic sources, we advance the argument that institutional trauma, harm inflicted or exacerbated by juvenile justice and residential systems themselves, and the complete absence of organizational accountability may interact to worsen, rather than reduce, severe antisocial outcomes. Hermosa’s incarceration at the Virgilio Guerrero Institute is examined not as empirical evidence but as a theoretically informative case that highlights the potential consequences of punitive, non-rehabilitative environments. We propose that without procedural, therapeutic, restorative, and systemic accountability mechanisms, juvenile justice settings risk becoming trauma-generating institutions that compound pre-existing psychopathology. Particular attention is given to the hypothesized intersection of early childhood maltreatment and later institutional trauma as a pathway toward severe antisocial development. This perspective concludes by outlining key accountability mechanisms, external oversight, youth grievance procedures, trauma-informed staff training, and transparent error remediation, as essential components for preventing the escalation of violence among at-risk youth. The article aims to stimulate theoretical discussion and inform policy reform rather than to generalize from a single case. Copyright © 2026 Ramos-Galarza, Obregón, Guerrero and Cruz-Cárdenas.
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Artificial Intelligence Anxiety in the Educational Context: Psychometric Adaptation of the Scale on a Sample of Russian Students
(Moscow Polytechnic University, 2026-06-24)
Maksimenko, A. A.
;
Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge
;
Zabelina, E. V.
;
Kurapov, S. V.
;
Pevneva, A. N.
Today, there is a growing anxiety about artificial intelligence in the educational space, which greatly affects the willingness to make technological decisions and plan for one's professional future. In empirical studies, AI anxiety is defined as a complex phenomenon including a range of negative emotional responses that shapes in people due to development and potential impact of artificial intelligence on various spheres of life. Given the impact of AI anxiety on learning, career choices, participation in the digital economy, and mental well-being, there is a need for its holistic conceptual description and reliable diagnosis. The aim of the study is to present a reliable and valid Russian-language tool for diagnosing AI anxiety in students. The adopted basis and modified for a student sample (N = 521) "Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale" (M.H. Alkhaibani et al.) showed an acceptable level of the external and internal validity as well as reliability on internal consistency. The factor analysis confirmed the five-factor structure of the questionnaire: concerns related to AI accuracy and reliability; concerns related to academic integrity (plagiarism); and concerns stemming from regulatory uncertainty (guidelines), fears of loss of learning and cognitive skills, as well as a decrease in motivation. External validity is confirmed by the correlations with neuroticism and conscientiousness as personality traits, image of the future, attitude towards artificial intelligence, and some socio-demographic characteristics. Adapted and modified psychodiagnostic tool for studying AI anxiety opens up opportunities for research on a Russian-speaking student sample. © Максименко А.А., Круз-Карденес Х., Забелина Е.В., Курапов С.В., Певнева А.Н., 2020. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Structure-Based Innovation Index (SBII) and Firm Performance in Ecuadorian Manufacturing SMEs: Evidence from Capital Efficiency and Sales per Employee
(MDPI AG, 2026-04-23)
Godoy Hurtado, Edgar Paul
;
Vayas Ortega, Germania
;
Suárez Pérez, Juan Carlos
Manufacturing SMEs in Ecuador operate under macroeconomic volatility and limited financing; improvements in processes and management are key mechanisms for sustaining productivity and competitiveness. In contexts where conventional innovation indicators are unavailable, financial ratios constitute replicable signals that close a measurement gap in emerging economies. This study constructs the Structure-Based Innovation Index (SBII) as the mean of within-sample percentile ranks of capital efficiency (EBIT/Assets) and sales per employee, using financial statements from the SCVS, sectoral indicators from ENESEM, and size classification from REEM. The sample includes 58 formal manufacturing SMEs in Ecuador in 2023, stratified by province and size. Performance is measured through labor productivity and operating profitability (EBIT/Sales). Tercile comparisons reveal clear performance differentiation: the high-SBII group exhibits substantially higher median sales per employee (USD 129,552 vs. USD 40,176 in the low group) and higher operating profitability. Signals are more strongly reflected in productivity than in margins, indicating that operational gains materialize earlier. A robustness check using SBIIalt confirms that gradients are not index artifacts. High-performing SMEs are distinguished by institutionalized operational discipline: asset utilization, throughput stability, and cost control. The SBII is a replicable proxy for structure-based innovation in data-constrained environments. The findings align with SDGs 8, 9, and 12. © 2026 by the authors.
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Hedonic and Utilitarian Motivations in Predicting the Buy Intention of Technological Products: A Study in Developing and Emerging Countries
(2021)
Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge
;
Zabelina E.
;
Deyneka O.
;
Ramos Galarza, Carlos
An area of great interest for business is establishing the factors that determine consumer intentions to purchase new technological products. The present study seeks to contribute to this field of research by establishing how the consumer’s hedonic and utilitarian motivations help explain their purchase intentions. The present study consisted of a survey completed by 725 people in Ecuador (a developing country) and 376 in Russia (an emerging country). The data obtained were analyzed with a multiple regression, with the purchase intentions of five technological products being the variable to be predicted and the two motivations for the use of technologies as the predictor variables. Various demographic variables were introduced as control variables. The results obtained point to a secondary role for demographic variables. On the other hand, and in a consistent manner, hedonic and utilitarian motivations were significant predictors positively associated with purchase intentions in both countries. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
32
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Effect of Internal & External Financing on Labor Productivity – (2009–2014) Panel Data Study of Ecuadorian Companies
(2025)
Simbaña Taipe, Luis
;
Rodas, Gonzalo
;
Mena, Bryan
;
Morales Molina, Tania
;
Salazar Baño, Alfredo
This research analyzes the effect of internal and external financing on the labor productivity of Ecuadorian companies from 2009 to 2014. For this purpose, the database of the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) is used. In addition, ordinary least squares (MCO) regression for panel data is applied as an estimation strategy. The study focuses on explanatory variables with financial characteristics (external and internal funding) and variables with commercial characteristics (number of employees, source of foreign capital, innovation of new services, and purchasing of machinery and equipment). The results demonstrate that external financing, number of employees, source of foreign capital and purchase of machinery and equipment, all have a positive impact on labor productivity. Internal financing, on the other hand, has no effect on the dependent variable. Meanwhile, the introduction of a new service reduces labor productivity. The Ecuadorian economy presents several barriers that prevent the development of national companies. These obstacles could be a lack of social and scientific awareness, an absence of innovative initiative and technological development, and deficient management of internal and external financing. Therefore, identifying the factors that affect the labor productivity of Ecuadorian companies is a relevant issue for the country's business economic development. Due to this information, the companies could develop capabilities and strategies to stay in the market and improve their competitiveness.
30
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
The Mediating Role of Total Quality Management between Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Environmental Performance
(2024)
Sayedeh Parastoo Saeidi
;
Saeidi, Parvaneh
;
Sayyedeh Parisa Saeidi
Manufacturers have been under increasing pressure from various groups to recognize and deal with the environmental effects of their operations, especially in the past twenty years. To manage this challenge, they have adopted two practices: corporate social responsibility (CSR) and total quality management (TQM). However, it is still not clear how these practices are supposed to affect environmental performance in developing countries, particularly the less developed ones. This study aimed to fill this gap by researching whether TQM could mediate between CSR and green management in Iranian manufacturing companies. The Baron and Kenny method was used to achieve the answer. The structural equation modeling method, using AMOS, was additionally used to explore the relationships between the concepts. Out of 849 questionnaires distributed, 328 usable responses were received. The findings supported all hypotheses: CSR is linked to a company’s environmental performance, CSR is connected to TQM, TQM is associated with the company’s environmental performance, and the relationship between CSR and environmental performance is partly mediated by TQM. Practically, the findings of this study provide organizations with actionable guidance to enhance their environmental sustainability practices, resulting in fostering long-term sustainability and gaining a competitive advantage.
27

Centro de Investigación en Empresa, Sociedad y Tecnología

Filters

Settings

Sort By

Results per page