Entreciencias: Diálogos en la Sociedad del Conocimiento

Territorial Inequalities and Environmental Knowledge: An Exploratory Study of University Youth in Guanajuato

Paulina Uribe Morfin — 2025-03-10

Purpose: To analyze how territorial inequalities influence the environmental knowledge of young people studying in higher education institutions in Guanajuato.

Methodological Design: The study presents a quantitative approach. Students from three universities in Guanajuato participated, and An adapted version of the unam Environmental Survey (2015) was applied to the case of Guanajuato, with the aim of understanding to what extent their perceptions of environmental problems are related to the territory in which they live.

Results: Key environmental concerns, such as air pollution, were identified. A relationship between territory and environmental knowledge is confirmed, based on how geographic location shapes students' perceptions of environmental problems. Additionally, a variety of perspectives on causes and solutions was observed, highlighting the need for adaptive educational approaches. The research contributes to the importance of environmental education and the dissemination of knowledge.

Research Limitations: The study lacks a longitudinal analysis to follow the evolution of environmental knowledge in connection with students' territorial inequalities throughout their university careers. Likewise, an analysis of students' socio-environmental trajectories in relation to possible territorial changes over time would have been desirable.

Findings: Statistically significant results are shown regarding the link between environmental knowledge and the territory in which the surveyed students reside, highlighting the impact of spatial disparities on environmental knowledge.

The Symphony of Wear and Tear: “Kangaroo disease” and Hidden Wear and Tear in Sugarcane Cutters

Sabrina A França Silva Cruz Silva Cruz — 2025-02-07

Purpose: To analyze the social determination process of workers' health in sugarcane cutting in Alagoas, Brazil.

Methodological design: Case study with thematic analysis. This research uses theoretical premises from workers' health and collective health, with a focus on historical-critical theory. The methodology involved selecting a specific case. The categories analyzed were “social determination of health,” “workloads,” “wear and tear,” “overexploitation,” and “alienation.”

Results: Work in sugarcane cutting involves various physical, chemical, biological, physiological, and psychological stresses, leading to significant wear and tear on the workers. The study indicates that “kangaroo disease” signifies a dehumanization of workers, evidenced by the overexploitation of the workforce. This overexploitation is evident in the intensification of production work, extended working hours, and low wages, resulting in poor health and the further dehumanization of the workers. The observed premature exhaustion demonstrates that, even with mechanization, health issues remain, highlighting the urgent need for reforms in working conditions and compensation in manual sugarcane cutting.

Research limitations: The case study approach might restrict the generalizability of the results to different contexts or locations.

Findings: “Kangaroo disease” symbolizes the overexploitation and dehumanization of workers involved in manual sugarcane cutting, transforming their labor into a source of both physical and psychological degradation.

Dysfunctional Studies: Family Business New School of Thought

Oscar Javier Montiel Méndez — 2025-01-17

Purpose: To explore and connect the potential elements identified as dysfunctional in family businesses (DYSFB), where productive, unproductive, and destructive aspects are underscored.

Methodological design: A documentary review focused on identifying relevant scholars and academic works that address this dysfunctional dimension.

Results: The "dysfunctional side" analysis provides a significant and novel contribution to family business (FB) studies. It establishes a framework for future theoretical and empirical research on deviations from ideal conditions within such organizations.

Research limitations: A notable limitation is the need for further empirical research to substantiate the proposed theoretical model, which may lead to a more precise definition of the construct, as well as a clearer understanding of the factors or forces that drive DYSFB from a systemic perspective

Findings: The viability of advancing a new school of thought devoted to studying dysfunctionality in family businesses (DYSFB). The theoretical model posited here lays a foundation for future research and holds considerable potential to inform public policy, shape the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and influence entrepreneurship education.