Introduction: the advance of artificial intelligence poses analytical challenges for the non-contractual civil liability regime in Ecuador. Although the country has had ethical governance instruments and technical data protection standards since 2026, the substantive and procedural civil system lacks an electronic personality statute and a specific regime of liability for autonomous algorithmic damages. Objectives: the objective of this study is to examine the impact of this regulatory absence on the determination of liability for autonomous damages and on the constitutional guarantee of comprehensive reparation for victims. Methodology: the research uses a qualitative methodology, at a descriptive-analytical level, based on a documentary review of the doctrine and the current regulatory framework. Results: the results indicate that the traditional categories of guilt and causal link collapse in the face of algorithmic opacity (black box), subjecting victims to a diabolical probation that stresses effective judicial protection. Conclusions: it is concluded that the viability of electronic personality lies in its formulation as a legal fiction and technical imputation center. Its implementation requires articulation with a regime of objective liability for risk, algorithmic traceability, and mandatory insurance. General area of study: Jurisprudence / Law. Specific area of study: Law and new technologies. Type of article: narrative bibliographic review.

Introduction. A study was conducted on differentiation strategies and competitive positioning in gastronomic establishments in the city of Macas, recognizing that this sector represents a significant economic activity that contributes to local development. It was concluded that the competitive positioning of restaurants is primarily driven by differentiation strategies, particularly those related to quality and perceived value, brand recognition, and customer experience. Objective. Given the lack of previous research focused on this specific area, the objective was to analyze the relationship between differentiation and positioning variables and to identify the main dimensions that contribute to building a competitive advantage in the market. Methodology. The research adopted a quantitative approach with a non-experimental, cross-sectional, and exploratory design. Data was collected through a Likert-scale survey administered to a sample of 50 restaurants in the city. Results. The results revealed that differentiation strategies based on quality and perceived value, brand recognition, and customer experience contribute to the competitive positioning of these businesses. They also showed a significant gap in the use of digital tools, as well as a disconnect between cultural identity and innovation. Conclusion. It was concluded that the competitive positioning of restaurants is primarily driven by differentiation strategies, particularly those related to quality and perceived value, brand recognition, and customer experience. General Area of Study: Administration. Specific area of study: Administration Type of study: Original article.

Introduction. This study examined the level of administrative formalization in local businesses in the city of Macas and its strategic impact on business performance. Objective. The study began because many small and medium businesses still operate using trial-and-error administrative processes, which limit their competitiveness and ability to grow steadily. Methodology. A quantitative approach with a descriptive-correlational scope, non-experimental design, and cross-sectional cut was used. The information was gathered through a structured survey given to local business owners and managers, looking at areas like administrative processes, management tools, legal compliance, and formalization factors, as well as productivity, access to financing, market positioning, and business sustainability. Results. The results showed that organizations with higher levels of formalization are better able to strengthen their internal management, improve decision-making, and take advantage of growth opportunities. Conclusion. It is concluded that administrative formalization is a key factor in improving the competitiveness and survival of local businesses. Therefore, it is important to promote training programs and business strengthening initiatives that encourage a more efficient and sustainable administrative culture. General Area of Study: Administration. Specific area of study: Administration. Type of study: Original article.

Introduction. Social media has transformed the way businesses communicate with their customers and promote their products or services. What was once a space for entertainment and social interaction, today represents an opportunity to strengthen the presence of companies in the market, generate close relationships with consumers and improve their competitiveness. Objective. The objective of this research was to analyze the use of social media as a strategic tool in businesses in the Morona canton, identifying the most widely used platforms, their application within business strategies, and their contribution to business growth and competitiveness. Methodology. The study was conducted using a quantitative approach, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design, and a descriptive scope. Data was collected through a survey administered to 53 businesses across various economic sectors in the Morona canton, using a structured questionnaire with a Likert scale, and the data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software. Results. The results revealed a favorable perception of social media use in promoting products and services, communicating with customers, building customer loyalty, and enhancing competitiveness. Furthermore, a strong positive relationship was identified between the use of social media as a marketing strategy and business growth and competitiveness (r = 0.914). Conclusion. It is concluded that social media constitutes a strategic tool that contributes to the positioning, customer interaction, and business development of enterprises in Morona. General Area of Study: Administration. Specific area of study: Administration. Type of study: Original article.

Introduction. This research analyzed the internal control systems in the agricultural economic units of the municipalities of Soyaniquilpan and Jilotepec, given that these units, mostly composed of informal producers, frequently lacked clearly defined processes, which hindered staff training and affected the expected income from agricultural activity. Objective. The study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the internal control procedures implemented and to determine their relationship with business profitability. To this end, a univariate descriptive study was conducted using a five-point Likert-scale survey applied to 30 participants, whose data were processed with SPSS software. Methodology. The study was conducted using a quantitative approach, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design, and a descriptive scope. Data was collected through a survey administered to 53 businesses across various economic sectors in the Morona canton, using a structured questionnaire with a Likert scale, and the data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software. Results. The results revealed significant weaknesses in the internal control system, particularly in the manual control, periodic evaluations, and supervision, while profitability indicators showed a moderately positive perception. Conclusion. It was concluded that a gap existed between the fragility of internal controls and perceived profitability, and that the agricultural units sustained their financial viability through external factors, such as favorable weather conditions and access to support programs, rather than through robust formal controls. These findings highlighted the need to strengthen internal control systems to consolidate the sustainability of the agricultural sector in the region studied. General Area of Study: Administration. Specific area of study: Administration Type of study: Original article.

Introduction. School interdisciplinarity, foreground, and teachers’ pedagogical knowledge are relevant dimensions for constructing situated educational proposals. Objective: To conceptualize these three domains to construct a mediation architecture aimed at situated proposals. Methodology: An integrative and conceptual literature review of scientific and theoretical literature on interdisciplinarity, foreground, pedagogical knowledge, and situated learning. Results. A gap was identified in the articulation of these dimensions, leading to the proposal of the Situated Interdisciplinary Pedagogical Construction Architecture (ACPIS), based on mediation among context, students, curriculum, and disciplinary knowledge. Conclusion. ACPIS constitutes a theoretical and heuristic proposal for understanding the construction of situated interdisciplinary pedagogical decisions. Its validation requires further empirical studies. General study area: Education. Specific study area: Educational interdisciplinarity. Type of study: Narrative literature review.

Introduction. Public works procurement is exposed to risks associated with corruption, information asymmetries, control weaknesses, and limitations in transparency. In this context, ISO 37001:2025 provides a framework for strengthening anti-bribery management through risk management, due diligence, operational controls, reporting mechanisms, and continuous improvement. Objective. To determine the relationship between the implementation of components aligned with ISO 37001:2025 and the level of compliance with the principle of transparency in public works procurement at Ecuador’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport during the 2025–2026 period, with the purpose of designing and theoretically validating an institutional improvement model. Methodology. A mixed-methods study was conducted using a concurrent or convergent parallel design, with a descriptive-correlational scope, a non-experimental design, and a cross-sectional approach. The human unit of analysis comprised 21 specialized public officials under a census criterion, while the documentary unit included two files purposively selected from a reference framework of 25 procurement processes. Semi-structured interviews and a documentary checklist were applied. Responses related to the hypotheses were coded into dichotomous categories and analyzed using the two-sided Fisher’s exact test, complemented by Yates’ chi-square test and the Phi coefficient. Results. Statistically significant associations were identified between risk management and traceability (p = .0092; φ = .61), anti-bribery controls and publicity-accountability (p = .0251; φ = .55), and the overall perceived level of development of components aligned with ISO 37001:2025 and transparency (p = .0022; φ = .71). The two documentary files reached compliance levels of 58% and 71%. The proposed institutional model obtained an average Aiken’s V coefficient of .93 in its theoretical validation. Conclusion. The findings showed a significant association between the perceived development of components aligned with ISO 37001:2025 and perceived compliance with the principle of transparency, without establishing causality. The proposed model showed favorable content-validity conditions for guiding progressive implementation; however, its effectiveness should subsequently be assessed through a pilot test. General Area of Study: Administrative Sciences. Specific Area of Study: Public Procurement and Anti-Bribery Management. Type of study: Original article.

Introduction. Educational leadership is a relevant component of institutional management due to its relationship with the conditions that favor teacher professional development. Objectives. The objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between educational leadership and professional teaching practice in an Educational Unit in the marginal urban sector of the Loja canton, Ecuador, during the 2025–2026 school year. Methodology. The study was developed under a quantitative, applied approach, with a descriptive-correlational scope, non-experimental design, and cross-sectional section. The population was made up of 12 teachers, who participated entirely through a census. The information was collected through a survey and a structured questionnaire of 20 items with a five-category Likert scale. The content validity of the instrument was determined by the judgment of three experts and Aiken's V coefficient, with an overall value of 0.86. Results. The descriptive analysis showed favorable evaluations in the dimensions studied; Communication reached the highest meaning in educational leadership (M = 4.38), while Pedagogical Planning presented the highest evaluation in professional teaching practice (M = 4.47). The correlational analysis using Spearman's Rho showed a positive, moderate, and statistically significant association between educational leadership and professional teaching practice (ρ = 0.589; p = 0.044). Likewise, strong associations were identified between Accompaniment to Teacher Professional Development and Teacher Professional Development (ρ = 0.785; p = 0.002), and between Pedagogical Leadership and Methodological Strategies (ρ = 0.755; p = 0.005). Conclusions. It is concluded that both variables present a statistically significant relationship in the context studied, although not causal, and that accompaniment of professional development constitutes a priority area for institutional strengthening. General Area of Study: Education. Specific area of study: Educational leadership and professional teaching practice. Type of study: Original articles.

Introduction. Public procurement is an essential instrument for the execution of the procurement of goods, services, works and consultancies, and for the satisfaction of the needs of society in Ecuador. From this perspective, the preparatory phase, especially the definition of institutional need, plays a determining role in the efficiency and effectiveness of contractual processes. Objectives. The objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of a correct and adequate definition of need on the public procurement processes of the Rural Parish Decentralized Autonomous Government (GADPR) of Shell, Pastaza province, in the period 2022–2023. Methodology.  The research adopted a qualitative approach, descriptive-analytical-propositional, based on the documentary review of contracting files, current regulations and reports of the control entity, the design used was non-experimental of a cross-sectional type, with qualitative predominance and descriptive quantitative support through a survey applied to the same servers, integrated through a triangulation matrix. Results. The results showed that the processes showed declared need, but technical justification, previous studies, specifications and referential budget that did not meet the criteria provided for in the Organic Law of the National Public Procurement System and its Regulations, generating deserted processes, delays, contractual reforms, inefficient use of public resources and observations of the control entity. Conclusions.  It is concluded that it is a priority to strengthen the preparatory phase through a set of technical guidelines (formats, checklist, risk matrix and training), which is essential to optimize public procurement processes and meet institutional objectives. General area of study: Public Administration. Specific area of study: Public Procurement. Type of article: original.

Introduction. In the scientific literature on Amazonian cities, the relationship between urbanization and the natural environment has been studied from various conceptual and methodological approaches. This diversity complicates the distinction between which aspects of those studied have analogous support and which remain assumptions. Objectives. This article analyzes how the literature reviewed conceptualizes the relationship between city and nature in Amazonian territories, to systematize its convergences, tensions, and gaps. Methodology. 22 scientific documents were selected to be analyzed from a qualitative approach. The documents are coded according to their theme, subjected to a cross-sectional comparative analysis, and finally to a critical contrast of the framework elaborated. During this process, a distinction is made between explicit evidence, derived interpretation, and hypothesis. Results. The results show that the relationship between city and forest is the most consistently documented conceptual link. Nine of the twenty-two documents analyzed address this issue, although nature is questioned from five perspectives that have not yet been reconciled with each other. The dispersed and low-density territorial configuration appears in seven documents and is described with a fragmented vocabulary. The association between extractivismo and urbanization, as well as between informality and poor governance, does not yet have a documented causal mechanism. The analysis conducted on a single territorial scale (20 out of 22 documents) and the minority participation of indigenous peoples (3 out of 22 documents) constitute epistemological limitations present in the literature. Conclusions. Based on these findings, a preliminary conceptual framework articulated around the city-jungle axis is proposed and three open hypotheses are formulated to guide future research. General area of study: Social Sciences. Specific area of study: Urban Planning and Territorial Policies. Type of study: Narrative bibliographic review.

Introduction. Money laundering threatens the financial stability of mining SMEs in El Oro, aggravated by weaknesses in internal control and limited application of prevention mechanisms. Objective. To analyze the perception held by administrative and accounting representatives of mining SMEs regarding the applicability and perceived utility of forensic auditing as a complementary tool for money laundering prevention in the province of El Oro. Methodology. Quantitative approach, non-experimental design, exploratory scope. A pilot study was conducted with 17 mining SMEs selected through non-probabilistic convenience sampling, from a universe of 665 mining SMEs registered with the Superintendence of Companies, Securities, and Insurance of Ecuador. A structured survey was applied, and data was processed using SPSS, applying descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and Cronbach's Alpha. Results. 70.6 % of respondents favorably perceive the usefulness of forensic auditing, and 82.3 % recognize its capacity to detect suspicious transactions. Pearson's correlation (r = 0.770; p = 0.000) evidenced a statistically significant association between both variables within the framework of this pilot study. However, limitations were identified in training (47.0 % unfavorable perception) and the absence of formal procedures for reporting unusual operations. Conclusions. Forensic auditing is valued as a preventive tool, but barriers in training and resources persist, limiting its effective implementation. Due to its preliminary nature, the findings are not generalizable and require validation with larger samples. It is recommended to strengthen training programs and regulatory compliance policies in the mining sector. General study area: Economic and Administrative Sciences. Specific study area: Finance / Anti-Money Laundering. Article type: Original article.

Introduction. Ecuadorian microenterprises need simple tools to organize personnel management, considering their available resources and the absence of a dedicated human resources department in many businesses. Objective. To design a simplified human resource management model adapted to the needs of Ecuadorian microenterprises and aimed at supporting service quality, customer satisfaction, and organizational performance. Methodology. A quantitative study with a descriptive design was conducted using non-probability sampling. A total of 160 micro-enterprise owners participated by completing a 40-item questionnaire organized into eight dimensions and rated on a five-point Likert scale. Based on the results, a proposal was developed and evaluated by eight experts according to the criteria of sufficiency, clarity, coherence, and relevance. Results. Favorable opinions were found regarding personnel selection, training, performance monitoring, and motivation. Of the participants, 82% agreed or strongly agreed that training contributes to employee performance, and 79% expressed a favorable opinion regarding the contribution of employee performance to business results. The proposal was organized into four components and received an overall mean score of 3.84 out of 4 in the expert evaluation. Conclusion. The model provides practical guidance for organizing personnel management through simple actions that can be adapted to the resources of each microenterprise. Its implementation and monitoring will allow its effects on personnel, customer service, and business results to be assessed. General area of study: Management. Specific area of study: Business Administration and Management. Type of study: Original articles.