Factors influencing the choice of a university degree: the case of recreation, parks and tourism administration studies

The aim of this research is to analyze students´ expectations that have an influence on choosing Leisure and Recreation as an academic major. According to the analysis of this research on the reasons for choosing Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration studies at a university in the United States, the conclusions reached show that among multiple factors, the expectations of having collaborative and situated learning experiences are one of the main reasons for choosing these studies, as well as the job opportunities that this degree offers. The results of this research evidence the high degree of emotionality affecting this decision. The conclusions of this study may be useful for designing Leisure and Recreation curriculums

Listening to the Voices of Novice Lecturers in Higher Education: A Qualitative Study

The professional development of novice staff at the university still requires considerable improvement. In this research paper, and in an attempt to define a development model in higher education, attention is paid to the perspectives and judgments of novice university staff. The research focuses specifically on the expression of their problems, difficulties, dilemmas, and decisions related to their course plans and classroom contexts. The methodology applied here integrates processes of qualitative interpretation supported by the AQUAD Six data processing program in the presentation of results. These findings make clear the need to integrate novices into the teaching community in order to reduce the fears they experience on starting their academic careers and increase the benefits to the university community as a whole

The culture of the equality of opportunities in the European university context

La nueva función de las universidades, en el complejo y entrelazado contexto social, necesita de un gran compromiso de la comunidad académica con la igualdad de oportunidades de género. El objetivo de esta investigación ha sido analizar los pensamientos, creencias y cultura de las académicas en su desarrollo profesional docente e investigador en la Universidad de Alicante. Se ha aplicado una estrategia metodológica basada en la investigación de las narrativas de las participantes para el análisis de información. El tratamiento de los datos se ha articulado con base en el programa informático AQUAD 7. Los resultados nos ofrecen una comprensión mayor de las voces de las académicas, especialmente, de sus preocupaciones, temores y dilemas. Las conclusiones de esta investigación instan a una revisión de las políticas institucionales en el tejido universitario español que promueva oportunidades más efectivas y sostenida participación legítima en la comunidad universitaria.The new role of the universities in a complex and intertwined social context requires a major commitment by the academic community regarding gender equality. The objective of this research is to analyze the thoughts, beliefs and culture of the academic women in their professional teaching and research development at Universidad de Alicante. A methodological strategy was applied in the research of the accounts of the participants for the analysis of information. The management of data was done using AQUAD 7. The results allow greater comprehension of the voices of the academic women, especially, about their concerns, worries and dilemmas. The conclusions of this research motivate a review of the institutional policies, in the context of the Spanish universities, to promote more effective opportunities and continued legitimate participation in the university community.Artículo de investigación que contiene el informe final de los resultados obtenidos en el proyecto La educación superior y oportunidades de género, auspiciada y liderada por la Universidad de Alicante, España

Reputation, Game Theory and Entrepreneurial Sustainability

This manuscript provides a novel approach to reputational management as a driver of entrepreneurial sustainability, using game theory to integrate three dimensions of reputation. First, if the entrepreneur perceives reputation as a risk source, the analysis is framed as a prisoner’s dilemma schema that is solved by protecting against reputational threats from entrepreneurial sustainability. Second, if the entrepreneur perceives reputation as a competitive advantage, the analysis is framed as an innovator’s dilemma that is solved by getting reputational opportunities from entrepreneurial sustainability. Third, if reputation is perceived as a strategic asset, the analysis is framed as a coordination game schema that results in the development of a reputational intelligence skill that has the potential to become crucial for success in entrepreneurial sustainability. Consequently, this manuscript provides an original multidisciplinary analysis of reputational management by relating well-known theoretical results from game theory to organizational realitiesS

Mean first passage time for distance-biregular graphs

Postprint (published version

Erasmus student mobility: from European brotherhood to the migration option

A pesar del momento de crisis, Europa fortalece cada día su dimensión como comunidad internacional y ha creado un modelo de crecimiento y cohesión que puede ser una referencia para otros contextos. Una clave para lograr los objetivos de integración europea es el consenso en las decisiones sobre educación y específicamente en la implementación de las diversas acciones de movilidad Erasmus que desde 1987 ha implicado a 3 millones de personas. Esta investigación analiza este programa en la Universidad de Oviedo. Partimos de una descripción de los intereses que llevan a estas personas a iniciar la movilidad y constatamos que produce especial motivación la vivencia de una experiencia internacional, así como los factores académicos y culturales. A esto se suma el interés por dominar un segundo idioma y explorar las opciones laborales. Los resultados globales de esta singular migración en la mayoría de los casos reafirman una valoración del periodo como bueno o excelente.Europe strengthens its dimension as an international community, despite crisis facing the continent. Internationalism has shown to be a factor with growing political and societal importance and especially in higher education policy making. The aim of European integration is based on educational decisions, more specifically through various actions of Erasmus mobility. So, since 1987, this programme has involved 3 million people. Our study shows how the Erasmus Exchange Programme has had a leading role setting a common European entity. This research analyzes the European mobility from the University of Oviedo in Erasmus program, and describes the reasons for student participation. The students include a mastery of the language of the country, academic and cultural factors drive most of them to make the stay as well as the need to know a new environment and have an experience of European range. The job prospects are another motivating factor, with the overall assessment of the planned stay as acceptable, good or excellent in most cases

Análisis del cumplimiento de la normativa sobre protección de datos de la web del Grupo Los Cabezudos

Este Trabajo de Fin de Grado pertenece al área de lenguaje y sistemas informáticos con la temática de seguridad y privacidad en el uso de las TIC aplicadas al marketing.Inicialmente se realiza una contextualización del tema, explicando desde el nacimiento de internet hasta la situación actual para poder entender la evolución de la comunicación y el elevado tráfico, tratamiento y almacenaje de datos.Esta masiva circulación de información ha hecho necesaria una regulación para proteger la privacidad de estos datos. Aunque actualmente sigue habiendo amplias brechas entre países y no hay una normativa universal. A nivel europeo, y concretamente de España, encontramos la RGPD, normas ISO y la Ley Orgánica.En el sector del marketing se maneja una amplia cantidad de datos para conseguir clientes, mantener los clientes actuales, conocer sus gustos, ... Por ello es importante mantener esa información en un lugar seguro que mantenga la privacidad del propietario.Para entender y aplicar el marco teórico a la vida real, se ha realizado un caso práctico: el análisis de la página web del Grupo Los Cabezudos.El Grupo Los Cabezudos cuenta con 3 restaurantes, organización de eventos y venta online y a domicilio de sus preparaciones. Para ello, maneja datos de clientes y debe aplicar la normativa vigente.Tras realizar la auditoría de la web haciendo uso de una guía personalizada, el resultado ha sido positivo, ya que cumple prácticamente en su totalidad todos los requisitos, debiendo únicamente que modificar unos pocos aspectos para acogerse en su totalidad a la ley.<br /

Moving towards an Ecosystem Based Management in the Gulf of Cadiz

The concentration of the world's population in coastal regions, in addition to the direct human use, is leading to an accelerated process of change and deterioration of the marine ecosystems worldwide. In the case of the Gulf of Cadiz (GoC), intense fishing throughout history has resulted in the overexploitation of its major commercial stocks. The Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) is the framework currently used for restoration of marine ecosystems. Unlike conventional strategies which only focus on individual components, this new paradigm in ecosystem management implies the consideration of the entire system as a whole. Following the steps of other European seas, this work presents an Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) for the Gulf of Cadiz as first stone towards an eventual operational EBM. The IEA of the GoC is developed by combining a customized implementation of Levin's cycle with other complementary approaches, commonly used in other European seas. In particular we made use of a traffic light plot to describe the state and trends of the most important descriptors and an Ecopath model to depict the main trophic interactions in this specific ecosystem. From these analyses, we finally come up with candidate indicators suitable to be used within Levin’s cycle framework

Objective assessment of gender differences in learning strategies

La Teoría de Metas de Logro señala la existencia de estas dos estrategias u orientaciones motivacionales: la orientación de resultado y la orientación de aprendizaje. La primera suele asociarse a la búsqueda del resultado exitoso e inmediato y la segunda a la comprensión profunda y largo mayor plazo de las diversas implicaciones de una tarea. Algunos estudios señalan que los varones, en comparación con las mujeres, tienden a desarrollar en mayor medida la orientación de resultado. El Test de Aprendizaje de Categorías (TAC), una prueba de atención y aprendizaje, permite discriminar estas dos modalidades de afrontamiento de la tarea. Para investigar las diferencias de género en estas orientaciones, se evaluó a 502 escolares de 6 a 12 años mediante el TAC. Los resultados confirman la existencia de ambos perfiles, aunque no aparecen diferencias de género. Se plantea que quizás estas diferencias surjan más adelante en la evolución debido al aprendizaje y la socialización. La enseñanza de patrones motivacionales adaptativos a largo plazo puede resultar muy beneficiosa para los niños en edad escolar.Goal Theory indicates the existence of two learning strategies and motivational goals: the performance-focused goals and learning-focused goals. The first one is usually associated with the aim of achieving immediate and good results while the second one is associates with deep and long-range comprehension. Some studies show that men, compared with women, tend to develop performance performance-focused goals. The Categories Learning Test (CLT), a test of attention and learning, discriminates these two patterns in children when solving a task. We evaluated 502 schoolchildren of 6-12 years by CLT. The results confirm the existence of both profiles, although not shown gender differences. It argues that these differences may arise later in development due to learning and socialization. Teaching adaptive goals and strategies can be very beneficial for school children

Effect of UV-Absorbing Nets on the Performance of the Aphid Predator Sphaerophoria Rueppellii (Diptera: Syrphidae)

Photoselective nets have proven to be effective for aphid pest control as they limit their dispersal ability. However, little is known on the impact of such nets on natural enemies of aphids. In this work, we study the effect of UV-absorbing nets on the syrphid fly Sphaerophoria rueppellii Wiedemann (Diptera: Syrphidae), a commercially available aphid biocontrol agent in Mediterranean horticultural crops. First, we released mature syrphid adults and evaluated density and dispersal of the resulting immatures in a turnip crop grown under either UV-blocking (Bionet) or standard net. Second, we assessed, under controlled conditions, the impact of UV radiation on fitness-related parameters, and on flight behavior of S. rueppellii adults. Results showed that, while syprhid immature density was higher, their dispersion was reduced under Bionet. UV-absorbing nets are known to influence the dispersion pattern of aphids, which may have indirectly conditioned the distribution of their predator S. rueppellii. On the other hand, the type of net had no influence on the performance of adults. We conclude that the use of photoselective nets and the release of syrphid predators such S. rueppellii are compatible strategies to be used in IPM aphid-control programs.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Education (AGL2005-01449/AGR project). R.A.J was supported by JAE Predoc CSIC scholarship (JAEPre_08_00457)