Topic Review
“Pseudo-Contracted” Workers in Greece
Non-standard forms of employment, also called “flexible” or “new forms” of employment, such as temporary employment, part-time employment, seasonal employment, project agreement, leasing through TWAs, and outsourcing are a worldwide rapidly expanding phenomenon that affects more than one-third of the worldwide workforce. Flexible or new forms of employment emerged in the 1980s and gained popularity during the acute financial crisis (2007), as well as during the recent pandemic COVID-19 that also hugely affected Europe and the USA. More specifically, in 2022, the EU-27 marked rates of 12.1% of temporary employment and 17.6% of part-time employment over total employment. Enterprises turn to flexible forms of employment when aiming to reduce labour costs and to increase their productivity and competitiveness. More specifically, enterprises reduce their internally allocated range of tasks and assign part of or entire activities to external undertakings, thus expanding labour market segmentation and amplifying social inequalities among the employees.
  • 214
  • 20 Nov 2023
Topic Review
A Survey about Foster Family
       Being a foster family consists of a continuous process influenced by several aspects. It involves challenges and demands. But also daily rewards. It is critical that more families be encouraged to become foster carers and also that experienced carers stay in the system to create a sustainable foster care programme. We found three types of foster families, classified according to their will to leave or remain in foster care—unconditional, hesitant, or retired. The support team are determinant for success in every stage. 
  • 774
  • 19 Apr 2021
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
A Working Definition of Fake News
Current literature on fake news is rather abundant and mainly focused on history, variety, and types, rather than processes. This review draws on current literature to build a working definition of fake news focused on its present relevance to journalism and political communication contemporary debate, distinguishing it from non-pertinent conceptual varieties and contributing to a much-needed clarification on the subject. We performed a qualitative analysis of the literature published between 2016 and 2020. Data were extracted from Web of Science and Scopus. We define fake news as a type of online disinformation with misleading and/or false statements that may or may not be associated with real events, intentionally designed to mislead and/or manipulate a specific or imagined public through the appearance of a news format with an opportunistic structure (title, image, content) to attract the reader’s attention in order to obtain more clicks and shares and, therefore, greater advertising revenue and/or ideological gain. 
  • 884
  • 23 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Achieved Status
Achieved status refers to the social position or rank that individuals attain through their own efforts, abilities, or accomplishments within society. Unlike ascribed status, which is assigned at birth or through inherent characteristics, achieved status is earned through education, occupation, skills, or personal achievements, reflecting individuals' merit and contributions to society.
  • 139
  • 02 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Adam4Adam
Adam4Adam is an online dating website designed for men to meet other men "for friendship, romance, or a hot hookup".
  • 382
  • 18 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Additive Manufacturing in Automotive Sector
Triple bottom line (3BL) approaches to sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) often involve trade-offs between their three dimensions (economic, environmental, and social). Under some circumstances, however, synergic approaches (typically involving disruptive innovations) might allow simultaneous improvement in one or more dimensions without compromising the others. This entry analyzes one such case: the potential of properly designed additive manufacturing approaches in the automotive spare parts industry to simultaneously boost profits and reduce environmental impact.It is based on the systematic analysis of the real spare parts business of a mid-size automotive brand in Spain. Its results suggest that such synergic, self-reinforcing opportunities do indeed exist, and might even be further developed by  strategically integrating sustainability constituents, while completely changing the current spare parts' business model. 
  • 568
  • 19 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Affectional Action
Affectional action refers to behavior driven by emotions, sentiments, or personal attachments rather than rational calculations or instrumental goals. It encompasses actions motivated by affection, love, empathy, or other emotional bonds, often leading individuals to prioritize relationships, care, and compassion in their interactions with others, irrespective of utility or self-interest. This concept, elucidated by sociologist Max Weber, highlights the role of emotions in shaping social behavior and relationships within human societies.
  • 96
  • 02 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Agency
Agency is the capacity of an actor to act in a given environment. It is independent of the moral dimension, which is called moral agency. In sociology, an agent is an individual engaging with the social structure. Notably, though, the primacy of social structure vs. individual capacity with regard to persons' actions is debated within sociology. This debate concerns, at least partly, the level of reflexivity an agent may possess. Agency may either be classified as unconscious, involuntary behavior, or purposeful, goal directed activity (intentional action). An agent typically has some sort of immediate awareness of their physical activity and the goals that the activity is aimed at realizing. In ‘goal directed action’ an agent implements a kind of direct control or guidance over their own behavior.
  • 1.9K
  • 08 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Agency (Sociology)
In sociology, the concept of agency refers to the capacity of individuals to act independently and make choices that shape their lives and the social structures around them. Agency emphasizes the idea that individuals are not merely passive recipients of societal influences or structural forces but are active participants who can exercise their will, make decisions, and initiate actions.
  • 425
  • 25 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Algorithmic Journalism
A term that attempts to describe the procedures that have been brought about by recent technological changes in the field of journalism. Characterized by researchers as “the process of using software or algorithms to automatically generate news stories" (Graefe 2016) and “the combination of algorithms, data, and knowledge from the social sciences to supplement the accountability function of journalism” (Hamilton and Turner 2009).
  • 3.2K
  • 03 Jun 2021
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