núm. 1 (2010)

Our department has significant potential due to the advantages provided by its geostrategic location. However, the implementation of cooperation mechanisms is necessary to achieve competitiveness in the demanding exotic flower market. Porter defines competitiveness as the production of higher quality goods and services at lower prices for both domestic and international competitors, resulting in increasing benefits for the inhabitants of a nation by maintaining and increasing real income.

According to classical economic theory, countries or regions should specialize in the production of goods in which they can achieve the highest returns and the greatest production efficiency, resulting in lower production costs. This depends on the initial endowment of productive factors such as land, labor, and capital. Given that our region has an abundance of natural resources and unskilled labor, combined with a long-standing tradition in the livestock sector, it can be inferred that there are strong comparative advantages for regional livestock production. However, despite these advantages, it appears that the livestock sector has not reached a level of advancement that would enable it to develop a "competitive" sector with a strong technological infrastructure. This article begins with a characterization of the region, which has built an environment conducive to the development of the livestock sector based on its physical conditions. From there, it is necessary to consider sectoral development that includes a complete process of productive transformation, taking into account elements of innovation.

The Meta Department enjoys significant comparative advantages in many of its productive sectors, thanks to its natural wealth and the determination of its residents. The aquaculture sector is one of these sectors that exhibits great strengths in the region. Therefore, a group of students from Santo Tomas University in Villavicencio felt the need to commit to its development by establishing an interdisciplinary research group named 'ALQUIMISTAS.' This group consists of students from the faculties of International Business, Agricultural Business Administration, and Public Accounting. They are working within the research focus: 'Competitiveness analysis in strategic sectors of the region for international trade,' with a specific focus on the aquaculture supply chain. Their aim is to develop support tools for entrepreneurs in the tilapia subsector, as a potential export product.

The construction of a research focus is not limited to the mere formulation of a suggestive name that serves to frame the investigative work of students and professors in a specific context. A Research Focus is, above all, a research strategy that seeks to address a reality from different angles in an organized and systematic manner, promoting a dialogue of knowledge. Therefore, its construction requires interdisciplinary efforts

The violence that affects and undermines the rights of children is a social phenomenon evident in the history and across cultures. Their demonstrations take on meanings and significance from the social representations and the dynamics of power that legitimized. The growing concern felt, and informed by various disciplines, about the importance of ensuring the full development of the child and the child and their access to the rights proclaimed in the 1989 Convention, to promote the social and human development in all nations, has led to new laws in the country and likewise has had greater influence in the formulation of public policies regarding children and adolescents. However, the existence of such regulations is no guarantee of a change in social practices that even in the XXI century have not been changed in relation to the treatment and recognition of the dignity of children and adolescents. It is therefore essential that the university is committed to the process of transforming the practice of violence towards children, reaching from the research and social outreach for the voice and the reality of children is heard and viewed, and to be the children themselves who build and propose new forms of relationship and recognition of their particularity.

Thinking about the interaction of research and social responsibility opens up the possibility for projects where it is feasible to refer to educational processes with academic relevance and social belonging. But how can we create synergy between these two dimensions, and how can this be brought into the classroom? These questions have been a cause for concern seeking a transformation in the role of the teacher, not only in how they approach the teaching-learning process but also in bridging the disciplinary knowledge and social understanding, and how to bring this consensus into scenarios that allow us to glimpse the meaning and relevance of knowledge as a factor for reciprocal transformation for the involved parties. The purpose of this document is to present how, through classroom projects, we achieve an approach between research, especially in its formative stage, with a focus on social responsibility.

The classroom project becomes a pretext for promoting the development of investigative skills involved in both basic skills (argumentative, interpretive and advisory) and in turn acknowledges the complex thinking skills since they are proposed by UNESCO, learning to be Learning to know, learning to do and learning to live together. From this reflection we construct a proposal that gives relevance to the pedagogical from classroom projects, seen as a teaching strategy for the development of investigative skills. The research proposal has been working from the life experiences that have led to the approximation of the understan-ding of the peculiarity of the processes of development of investigative powers and its overlap with other powers, which are not basic and that allow a human being to resolve various situations that the complexity of everyday life presents.

Discussing the social sciences and the role of epistemology in their formation as sciences places us in the primary exercise of identifying the historical backdrop from which the question about social reality and the psychological as a peculiar object of science has emerged. Similarly, it leads us to the question of the methods for approaching this reality, as well as the conception of science in the Western world and the hegemony, which seems to be even more relevant than ever, of the Galilean and positivist model. In the face of this, the scientific foundation for constructing the epistemology specific to the social sciences is debated, proposing a teleological or hermeneutic model for conducting science.

Economic development has evolved from being synonymous with growth to a concept that encompasses multiple dimensions (economic, social, environmental, cultural, among others). In this new paradigm, the focus shifts towards improving the quality of life and meeting the needs of the population. This transformation brings forth new responsibilities and functions that must be fulfilled for the benefit of the entire society.

The evolution of social, political, economic and environmental issues worldwide, has largely been generated by globalization and this genesis is the "Mega trends of the century" as internationalization of the economy, Knowledge Societies, scientific-technological paradigm (Information Technology and communication ICT) transformation of states, internationalization of the accounting profession (harmonization of accounting standards IAS, IFRS) and Education for the Twenty-first Century (UNESCO). Economic trends and social policy brought about by globalization have been forceful, public accounting profession can not ignore these changes and is a responsibility of our discipline to be updated and continue to build on the theoretical structure that enables the application or that material-ize in the business network

This reflection aims to highlight Afro-Colombian culture and emphasizes the importance of the 1991 Constitution in promoting ethnic and cultural diversity through its transitional Article 55, as developed in Law 70 of 1993. This law created the Afro-Colombian Studies Chair as a new alternative to preserve Afro-Colombian identity beyond the concept of ethno-education. It also underscores the importance of respecting human rights, especially in the realms of education and diversity. The analysis mentioned above specifically focuses on the city of Villavicencio and the implementation of this chair in some primary education institutions.

El departamento del Meta, conocido como la despensa de Colombia, tiene un gran potencial en varios sectores gracias a su ubicación y oferta ambiental. Sin embargo, existen obstáculos que dificultan el desarrollo de ventajas competitivas. Estos obstáculos incluyen deficiencias en la gestión administrativa, falta de tecnificación en los procesos productivos, mano de obra no calificada, capacidad de producción limitada y apoyo institucional insuficiente.

Tourism is a strategic sector within the Productivity and Competitiveness Agenda of the Amazorinoquia region. The Meta Department has become the main tourist destination in the central part of the country. Its tourism offering includes landscapes and plains climate, tradition and folklore, regular fairs throughout the year, tourist corridors, ecotourism, agrotourism, and ethnotourism. All of this is supported by investments in infrastructure and tourism development. However, it's not sufficient. Tourists visit the department with various interests, ranging from relaxation to participating in business missions. Regarding service, complaints about poor service in hotels, recreational farms, transportation services, and, in general, all businesses integrated into the tourism sector are common. It is precisely the integration of these business sectors that we now understand as a Cluster, thanks to the studies of M. Porter. But for a cluster to exist in every sense of the word, integration among the various business units that make it up must be consciously and actively communicative and collaborative. In this case, companies in the region don't just compete with each other; they also enter into a cooperative synergy because the goal is to attract many people from all over the country and even from abroad. However, it is observed that this integration doesn't exist as strongly as it could, even though the concept of a cluster is inherently present due to the nature of tourism. In this regard, customer service can become the driving force for the consolidation of this cluster, as it ensures the satisfaction of tourists and their prompt return, along with the resulting recommendations, in every activity they engage in when visiting the department.