Spanish validation of the Servant Leadership Short Scale for young adults and adolescents / Validación de la Escala de Liderazgo de Servicio Versión Abreviada en español para jóvenes adultos y adolescentes

The aim of the current study was to validate a shortened Spanish version of the Servant Leadership Profile (SLP). In Study 1, a number of experts evaluated and reduced the original scale to 14 items and named the revised version the Servant Leadership Short Scale (SLSS). An exploratory factor analysis conducted with a sample of 1,001 students revealed two possible structure solutions, a one-factor solution and a two-correlated factor solution. Study 2 used a different sample of 456 students to examine the explored structures using confirmatory factor analysis. A one-factor solution was proposed (χ²/df = 3.4, CFI = .91, TLI = .90, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .06). Finally, in Study 3, servant leadership was used as a predictor of self-efficacy (b = .685, p < .001) and demonstrated good predictive validity. This model explained 41.55% of the variance on self-efficacy. Reliability analyses of the three studies showed that this 14-item Spanish version had high internal consistency. Together, the results of the three studies support the application of the SLSS in future research.     

How do sustainability reports from the Nordic and the Mediterranean European countries compare

This study investigates the sustainability reporting practices of companies based in the Nordic and the Mediterranean European countries for the period 2013–2015. Its purpose is to analyse to what extent, if any, are there differences in these practices. It seeks to capture the influence of national institutions and firm specific characteristics in sustainability reporting. Non-parametric statistics are used to analyse some factors which influence disclosure, namely country, industry affiliation, type of property, listing status and size. In accordance with the theoretical frame used, that of the varieties of capitalism approach, findings suggest that in general companies from Mediterranean European countries present higher levels of engagement with the Global Reporting Initiative.     

Design of a language stimulation program for children suffering abuse

This article proposes an intervention program, designed specifically for children in residential care who suffer institutionalized abuse, aimed at stimulating their use of language. The objective of the intervention procedure is to improve children's linguistic competence and their socio-affective development, as well as to enable parents to communicate and interact effectively with their children. Several studies have focused on the difficulties children suffering from abuse have with verbal expression and other areas of development. The research stresses the need to set up intervention programs that can improve the linguistic and social competence of children suffering from abuse. With such children, there is a fundamental need to develop a competence that will encourage their adaptive social skills, which are basic skills for interacting socially and which encourage the pragmatic language function, a skill needed for relating to adults and solving interpersonal problems.     

Equator Principles: Bridging the Gap between Economics and Ethics?

The hypothetical conflict between self‐interest, corporate interest, and the common good is one of the hottest debated issues in business ethics. This article focuses on a particular corporate social responsibility approach within the field of sustainable (project) finance, which has the potential—given that certain reform measures are adopted—to overcome the alleged trade‐off between self‐interest and the common good. The approach is labeled as the Equator Principles (EPs) framework, which celebrated its tenth anniversary and the formal launch of the third generation of the EPs (EP III) in 2013. The article shows how companies can theoretically be both profitable and socio‐environmentally responsible by adhering to the EPs. The article proceeds as follows: Before moving on to the EPs, section 2 defines the key terms self‐interest and common good. Section 3 then analyzes the EPs from a business ethics perspective. Section 4 shows how the EPs can help in solving the potential trade‐off between self‐interest and the common good—provided that the EPs are substantially revised. These required reform steps are discussed in section 5. The article ends with a summary of the main findings.     

Trade and environment issues in APEC

The central argument of this article is that regional economic integration must be complemented by the creation of regional frameworks for environmental management. Beyond working to expand market access, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Mechanism (APEC) countries must cooperate to create conditions which provide incentives for sustainable resource and ecosystem use. In this way, trade and environmental policies can mutually reinforce each other. In one way or another, it is likely that environmental issues will be on the agenda. The crucial issue is how deep and broad will be the integration of trade and environmental concerns. This article suggests some guiding principles and innovative strategies.     

Interparental Relations,Maternal Employment,and Fathering in Mexican American Families

This study examined independent and interactive relations between the interparental relationship and maternal employment in predicting fathering within low‐income, Mexican American two‐parent families (N = 115). Interparental conflict was negatively related to quality fathering, and these relations were noted only for single‐earner families. The parenting alliance was positively related to quality fathering irrespective of maternal employment. Fathering was associated with lower levels of child depression and conduct problems. Results suggest that bolstering quality fathering is a useful avenue for improving child well‐being and that strengthening the interparental relationship can support quality fathering and child mental health within Mexican American families.     

A note on closure of the ILR and DLR classes under formation of coherent systems

In this paper, we give the closure of the class of increasing likelihood ratio (ILR) life distributions under the formation of certain coherent systems with independent and identically distributed components, and particularly in k-out-of-n systems. Some possible definitions of its dual class (DLR) are discussed and results about the closure are given. Furthermore, we include examples which show that these two aging classes are not closed under formation of special coherent systems. This work has been supported by Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologia, Grants PB96-1105 and BFM2000-0362.     

Automatic selective intervention in dynamic linear models

In this paper we propose an algorithm to carry out the monitoring and retrospective intervention process in Dynamic Linear Models, both selectively and automatically. The algorithm is illustrated by analysing several series taken from the literature, in which the proposed procedure is shown to perform better than the scheme proposed by West & Harrison (1997, Chapter 11).     

Linear functional regression: The case of fixed design and functional response

The authors consider the problem of simple linear regression when the exogenous and endogenous variables are functional and the design is fixed. They propose an estimator for the underlying linear operator and prove its consistency under some conditions which ensure that the design is sufficiently informative. They consider the classical calibration (or inverse regression) problem and analyze a consistent estimator. They also give a simulation study. The proposed method is not hard to implement in practice.     

Who's Minding the Kids? Pollucion,Public Schools,and Environmental Justice in Los Angeles

Objective . Although previous environmental justice research has focused on analysis of the disproportionate burden of environmental hazards on minority residents, few studies have examined demographic inequities in health risks among children. This article evaluates the demographic distribution of potentially hazardous facilities and health risks associated with ambient air toxics exposures among public schoolchildren in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Methods . We combine Geographic Information System analysis with multivariate statistics to compare enrollment and demographic information for students who attend district schools with the spatial pattern of land use, locations of toxic emissions and facilities, and calculated indices of estimated lifetime cancer risk and respiratory hazards associated with exposures to toxic air emissions. Results . District schools are more likely to be located in census tracts containing potentially hazardous facilities; however, these tracts actually have slightly lower cancer and respiratory health risks associated with air toxics when compared to other tracts in the district. Demographic comparisons among school sites indicate that minority students, especially Latinos, are more likely to attend schools near hazardous facilities and face higher health risks associated with outdoor air toxics exposure. Conclusions . These patterns of hazard exposure and health risk should be considered both in the process of siting new schools to house the rapidly growing regional student population and in remediation efforts at existing schools.