The professional skills profile of a public affairs practitioner in Spain

Purpose: The present study identifies the professional skills profile that a Public Affairs (PA) practitioner of a major company or an organization representing the interests of various economic sectors should have in Spain. Design/methodology: The study uses a mixed qualitative and quantitative methodology. The initial identification of the competences, as well as the general functions of the profile to be evaluated, has been carried out using the in-depth interview technique with the directors of APRI (Association of Professionals of Institutional Relations of Spain), who defined these competencies from their expert perspective. Subsequently, through a survey of seventy-two managers, sufficient data were obtained to statistically process the information and obtain significant results in the identification of such competences. This information has been processed, firstly, through factorial analysis, which has made it possible to synthesize these competences. Once the analysis of factors was carried out, a cluster analysis is added for the classification of the respondents or managers. Findings: The perception of the interviewed executives has been determined regarding the functions that an institutional relations practitioner must fulfill. It should be noted that this is a profession for which there is no clarity about the role and the legitimacy of its members, particularly in Spain. In fact, it is associated with a function that is seen as exerting undue pressure on political power. A field study was conducted to determine the opinion of these managers on the competences that a professional in institutional relations should have. Originality/value: This study provides a description of the job position of a person responsible for institutional relations in Spain. Moreover, it adds a typology of managers, according to the competences defined for the person responsible for institutional relations.Peer Reviewe

Predicting procrastination with academic performance: Towards the anticipation of a higher education problem

Purpose: With the purpose of predicting the problem of procrastination, we study how age, sex, type of studies and grade for admission to higher education influence the procrastination behavior of students. Design/methodology/approach: In a sample of 359 university students, the Pure Procrastination scale was applied, as well as data on sex, age, grade previous to join the university, grade completed and year of study (first to fourth). To identify underlying variables or factors that explain the configuration of correlations in the items of the scale used, an exploratory factor analysis was carried out (principal component analysis with Varimax normalization). Next, a multiple linear regression analysis was performed with the variables sex, age, and admission grade as independent variables and academic procrastination as the dependent variable. Findings: It has been possible to identify the variables that influence the procrastinating behavior of university students. From the identification of which students will possibly present procrastinating behaviors, the people responsible for university education will be able to implement intervention programs to deal with procrastination. Research limitations/implications: The sample is not representative of the universe of university students, although the results obtained are relevant enough to replicate the study in other university contexts. Our data could have included more instruments for collecting information, which in future studies would entail incorporating scales related to the perception of time management, motivation or self-regulation. Practical implications: Distinguishing, among university students, those who may present more procrastination tendencies will guide those responsible for the educational process of said students with respect to measures to alleviate the negative effects of procrastination through psycho-socio-educational intervention programs. Social implications: The knowledge derived from this work has practical implications for the students themselves who, in the case of being identified as a potential procrastinator, may benefit from a psycho-socio educational intervention that will help them manage their time and reduce the discomfort derived from the procrastination. Originality/value: On the previous corpus of existing scientific knowledge, this work provides knowledge that allows optimizing, both at a public and private level, the academic, economic and social resources of university institutions in which procrastination can affect the preparation and the student performance

La gestió del temps dels universitaris, una qüestió d’autoregulació a potenciar

Projecte REDICE18-226

Actividad física y calidad de vida percibida en usuarios de centros deportivos públicos de Terrassa

This study analyzes the relationship between the physical-sports practice of users of public sports centers in the city of Terrassa and their perceived quality of life, in a sample of 674 users who practice physical activity in eight public sports centers open at the time of the data collection. Analyzing the variable «perceived quality of life», the research team managed to define user profiles of the public sports centers of Terrassa and measure how they perceive their quality of life, defining groups that are either not currently being attended or that are being improperly treated by the current centers. This will allow the City Council to orient its public policy in the area of physical and sports activity, given the characteristics of its users / customers and the perceived quality of life, that is, based on current and latent demand.En el presente artículo se recogen las conclusiones de un estudio que analiza la relación entre la práctica físico-deportiva de los usuarios de centros deportivos públicos de la ciudad de Terrassa (provincia de Barcelona) y la calidad de vida percibida por los mismos, estudio realizado sobre una muestra de 674 usuarios practicantes de actividad física en ocho centros deportivos públicos abiertos en el momento de la recogida de información. Analizando la variable calidad de vida percibida, el equipo investigador ha logrado definir perfiles de usuarios de los centros deportivos públicos de Terrassa y medir cómo éstos perciben su calidad de vida, habiendo podido distinguir colectivos que no están siendo atendidos actualmente por tales centros deportivos o que lo están siendo de manera incorrecta o insuficiente. Las conclusiones del estudio permitirán al Ayuntamiento de Terrassa una mejor orientación de su política pública en materia de actividad físico-deportiva, en función de las características de sus usuarios/clientes y de su percepción sobre el impacto que tal actividad físico-deportiva practicada en las condiciones actuales tiene en su calidad de vida percibida, es decir, en función de la demanda actual y latente

La gestió del temps dels universitaris, una qüestió d’autoregulació a potenciar

Projecte REDICE18-226