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Consumer value creation through clothing reuse: A mixed methods approach to determining influential factors

2019 , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Guadalupe-Lanas, Jorge , Velín-Fárez M.

Clothing reuse is a consumer disposal behavior that has been underexplored, although it has important consequences for the society. From the perspective of customer-dominant logic, reusing clothing is a consumer value creation behavior. To measure this tendency, we conducted a mixed method study in Ecuador, a developing Latin American country. We used 20 in-depth interviews followed by a survey of 425 adults to identify the factors associated with the tendency to reuse clothing. The study also identified gender differences regarding this behavior. Several factors in consumers' lives were revealed that explained the tendency to reuse clothing, including income, occupation, altruism, and physical environment. The study also showed that various population groups (e.g., lower income groups, younger individuals, students, and women) had a greater tendency to reuse clothing. © 2018 Elsevier Inc.

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Psychological time of green entrepreneurs: a mixed methods study of SMEs

2023 , Zabelina E. , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Deyneka O. , Maksimenko A. , Guadalupe-Lanas J. , Ramos-Galarza C.

Purpose: Green entrepreneurship is a topic of transcendental importance for today's societies. Studies on why entrepreneurs engage in green business have primarily focused on external influences, paying little attention to internal factors such as cognitive mechanisms. This study aims to fill this gap by focusing on the characteristics of the perceived (psychological) time of entrepreneurs who choose green businesses. Design/methodology/approach: Using a sequential exploratory mixed methods design, this study conducts a series of 20 in-depth interviews with green entrepreneurs in Russia, an emerging economy, and then formulates the hypotheses. The hypotheses are tested in the quantitative phase by surveying 389 green and non-green entrepreneurs. Findings: The data obtained in the survey phase support several hypotheses. Specifically, green entrepreneurs think more critically about their past than their non-green colleagues. Similarly, green entrepreneurs have a longer time perspective and are more focused on possible future events. Finally, green entrepreneurs are farsighted and perceive the future more negatively than non-green entrepreneurs. Research limitations/implications: The data obtained in the survey phase support several hypotheses. Compared with non-green entrepreneurs, green entrepreneurs think more critically about their past, have a longer time perspective and are more focused on possible future events. In addition, green entrepreneurs are farsighted and perceive the future more negatively than their non-green counterparts. Originality/value: This study contributes to the least examined area in the relevant literature by identifying internal factors that explain green entrepreneurship. Furthermore, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is one of the first to provide an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of the perceived (psychological) time of green entrepreneurs. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

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Consumer expenditures on clothing and footwear: a mixed methods study

2018 , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Arévalo-Chávez P. , Guadalupe J.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to establish the predictors of consumers’ annual monetary expenditures on clothing and footwear in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, a developing Latin American country. Design/methodology/approach: The research followed an exploratory, sequential, mixed methods design. The first phase consisted of in-depth interviews with adult individuals. The second phase involved surveying a similar segment of the population. Findings: The present study supports the importance of demographic and psychological factors as predictors. The study also identifies two new groups of predictors: consumers’ reception of used clothing and physical space at home and its management. Practical implications: In addition to demographic variables, consumer panels that measure expenditures on clothing and footwear should include psychological measures of participants, particularly clothing involvement. Clothing manufacturers and retailers in developing countries should consider the impact of receiving used clothes by consumers. Because clothing buying and disposal behaviors are positively associated, companies should become more involved in their customers’ disposal behavior. Originality/value: The contribution of the present study is twofold. First, it contributes to the understanding of clothing and footwear expenditures by considering the individual consumer as a unit of analysis. Furthermore, it provides insights into this behavior from a little-studied context. © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.

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Factorial Structure of the EOCL-1 Scale to Assess Executive Functions

2021 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Bolaños-Pasquel M. , Acosta-Rodas P.

The process of assessing executive functions through behavioral observation scales is still under theoretical and empirical construction. This article reports on the analysis of the factorial structure of the EOCL-1 scale that assesses executive functions, as proposed by the theory developed by Luria, which has not been previously considered in this type of evaluation. In this scale, the executive functions taken into account are error correction, internal behavioral and cognition regulatory language, limbic system conscious regulation, decision making, future consideration of consequences of actions, goal-directed behavior, inhibitory control of automatic responses, creation of new behavioral repertoires, and cognitive–behavioral activity verification. A variety of validity and reliability analyses were carried out, with the following results: (a) an adequate internal consistency level of executive functions between α = 0.70 and α = 0.83, (b) significant convergent validity with a scale that assesses frontal deficits between r = −0.07 and r = 0.28, and (c) the scale’s construct validity that proposes a model with an executive central factor comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.93, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.04 (LO.04 and HI.04), standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.04, and x2(312) = 789.29, p = 0.001. The findings are discussed based on previous literature reports and in terms of the benefits of using a scale to assess the proposed executive functions. © Copyright © 2021 Ramos-Galarza, Cruz-Cárdenas, Bolaños-Pasquel and Acosta-Rodas.

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From Face-to-Face Learning to Virtual Learning: Students’ Perspective

2023 , Cóndor-Herrera, Omar , Bolaños-Pasquel, Mónica , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge

This article reports the results found in an investigation which analyzed the perception that students have regarding the virtual learning process developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved 38 students from a Latin American institution whose age ranged from 13 to 15 years of age, who carried out their academic activities virtually for a school year, once the school period ended, a survey was applied to collect information on the experience in virtual classes, once the results have been analyzed, it is evident that the vast majority of students issued responses in favor of virtual teaching and that virtual classes served to develop their skills in managing technological resources, on the other hand a number of participants They did not indicate the learning experience as positive or negative. This may be related to the fact that a group of participants did not have good quality internet. In the same way, the results reflect that the students consider that not having adequate equipment and good quality internet quality are a limitation in the learning process virtual lift. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Interactive Model of Executive Functions to Understand Error Correction

2022 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Ramos V.

This article reports an investigation aimed at analyzing an interactive model of executive functions, which seeks to explain the process followed by human beings to correct their mistakes. The method followed was an analysis based on structural equations, considering the maximum likelihood process around a model that considered six executive functions. We worked with a randomized sample of 771 subjects (mean age = 39.86, SD = 15.47; 50.5%, women, 50.50%). The findings suggest that error correction is a complex executive function as it is the product of the internal language capacity that regulates behavior and cognition, adequate regulation of the limbic system, adequate decision-making, and control of automatic impulses, determining how to act and verify the thoughts and behavior of the subject. The contribution of the proposed theoretical model lies in understanding the process by which human beings manage to correct errors. In addition, how this explanatory model could help neuropsychological intervention processes to work on this cognitive ability in individuals with difficulties in correcting errors. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee ESJ, Italy.

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University Students’ Rejection to Learning Statistics: Research from a Latin American Standpoint

2023 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Ramos V. , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Bolaños-Pasquel, Mónica

Introduction: Negative beliefs, fear, avoidance behaviors, and superficial attitudes surrounding the learning of statistics create significant problems for university students in Latin America. Objective: To analyze the impact of fearful behavior, superficial work, and avoidance displayed by university students when it comes to statistics. Method: In this article, we give details about a quantitative research project carried out by two independent studies. The first (N = 310) focused on the development of a scale to assess negative beliefs, fears, and avoidance behaviors towards statistics, in which goodness of fit was determined in a 3-factor model. In the second study (N = 250), it was hypothesized that undergraduates perform superficially due to negative beliefs and avoidance behaviors when learning statistics. Findings: The proposed model explained 42% of the variance. In addition, in the analysis of the proposed mediation model, an adequate adjustment was found. In the discussion of this research project, the need to intervene in the negative beliefs, fears, and avoidance behaviors displayed by university students towards statistics is highlighted. Novelty: This research project explains why college students dislike or avoid learning statistics in depth. The findings will allow for a modification in the way statistics is taught so that Latin American professionals achieve better performance in this field. © 2023 by the authors. Licensee ESJ, Italy.

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Evaluation of Online Learning Platforms in Latin America

2022 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Cóndor-Herrera, Omar , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge

Introduction: The use of online learning platforms has made a huge contribution to the online learning process. A key tool in this world is videoconferencing, which allows the efficient advancement of knowledge of a specific subject during synchronized timing. Objective: With this proposed context, the objective of this investigation is to determine which online video-conference platform has more benefits to be applied in Latin America. Method: A study was carried out with a quantitative method, transversal temporality, and a correlational and comparative process. There was a sample of 272 participants between 12 and 55 years old. Results and conclusion: It was found that the platform with the most benefits according to the analysis of gender, age, and profession is ZOOM. These results allow us to analyze the usefulness of this platform and its benefits in the learning process in Latin America. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee ESJ, Italy.

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Knowledge Cities: ICT and Urban Components

2021 , Cueva-Ortiz S. , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge

Based on a shift in the production matrix from goods and services to knowledge and innovation, countries on at least three continents have invested in the construction of knowledge cities. However, to what extent are knowledge cities (KCs) linked to the information and communications technology (ICT) on which they are based? Are KCs a technological consequence, or a political ideology oriented towards the reinforcement of an economic system? To answer these questions, three global examples and the 22@Barcelona case study were examined using qualitative methods. The findings revealed how political agreements and the modification of urban plans impacted the cities. We observed existing relationships among ICT, KCs, and the business structure that was implemented, although the latter was not part of the KCs. This study presents a theoretical input for KCs and highlights the need for new urban and architectural spaces that respond to the innovative milieu of nascent societies. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Clothing Disposal System by Gifting: Characteristics, Processes, and Interactions

2017 , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , González R. , Gascó J.

The study of clothing disposal systems, involving the flow of clothing from one household to another, is of great interest because of the positive social and environmental consequences. Based on 35 in-depth interviews with adult men and women in Ecuador, a Latin American country, the authors sought to expand knowledge regarding one of these systems: clothing disposal by gifting to family, friends, and acquaintances. The respondents’ narratives indicated that the clothing disposal system by gifting is noncentric; based on social exchange, it strengthens the links between givers and recipients while allowing for clothes to circulate for a longer time. The data also indicated an intersection between age and gender, offering insight into how the process of clothing disposal by gifting develops within households. In some disposal events reported by participants, the clothing disposal system by gifting demonstrated autonomy, but in other events, it interacted with the clothing marketing system. © 2016, © The Author(s) 2016.