How can higher education increase the employability of university students? We present a case study on an innovative training itinerary aimed to promote the participation of teaching staff to stimulate the creativity of students and enhance their employability skills. Students acquire the entrepreneurship competences by applying the problem-solving methodology to their innovative projects based on sustainable development. The participation in the contest shows a growing importance, with topics ranging from the more technical ones, such as nutrition innovation, science innovation, or sustainability, to the social projects, related to social services, inclusion, or services against gender violence, harassment, and bullying. The percentage of multidisciplinary teams increased from 38% in 2015 to 76% in 2019 and even more in finalist teams, a positive trend in improving soft skills. According to some testimonies, the acquisition of these entrepreneurship competences partially compensates for students’ lack of professional experience by enriching their curriculum vitae (CV) and, for some students, lays the groundwork for establishing a real business after their participation in the contest.

This article analyses the effect of the teaching-learning methods used in Spanish universities on three measures of educational output: average mark, graduates' assessment of their professional performance in different dimensions, and their assessment of the acquisition of professional competencies and skills. Multi-level models were used in which graduates (first level) are grouped by field of study (second level). The Class attendance and Written work methods have the most influence on the average mark but influence the graduates' working future the least, as measured with assessments of professional aspects or competencies. In contrast, Problem-based learning, In-company internships and Practical and methodological knowledge are the methods that bear the most influence on the graduates' professional careers and their development of specific professional competencies.

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BackgroundA large proportion of studies carried out in recent years in different populations have shown that stigma toward mental disorders is highly prevalent. In the present study we conducted a comprehensive assessment of stigma to describe and compare stigma toward mental disorders in students enrolled in five different university degrees.MethodsThree hundred and twenty-five students from the University of Valencia (Spain), attending the second term of their first-degree courses in the faculties of medicine, psychology, teaching, economics, and data science participated in this cross-sectional study. Stigma was measured using: the Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS), the Scale of Community Attitudes toward Mental Illness (CAMI), the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27), and the Knowledge about Mental Illness test (KMI).ResultsWe found different patterns of stigma according to gender, the fact of knowing or living with a person with mental disorders and the university degree studied. Overall, women show fewer stigmatizing attitudes than men but similar stereotypes and prejudice toward people with mental disorders. However, the pattern of results across degrees is more complex. Overall, students of medicine, psychology and teaching showed fewer stigmatizing attitudes than students of economics and data science but differences between degrees were more subtle in stereotypes and prejudice toward people with mental disorders.ConclusionOur study suggests the existence of different profiles of stigma in relation to mental disorders in university students. These profiles varied in relation with the degree being studied, gender and already knowing or living with a person with mental disorders.

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RESUMENLas expectativas del alumnado que determinan la elección de una titulación en Turismo condicionan sus conductas durante y después de sus estudios. Para identificar estas expectativas se realizó una encuesta al alumnado de Turismo de primer curso. Un análisis factorial nos ha permitido identificar los factores de mayor peso en la elección: Internacionalización, Expectativas de empleo, Emprendimiento, Importancia del sector e Interés por la titulación. Finalmente, se ha completado el estudio analizando sus expectativas sobre las salidas profesionales vinculadas al ámbito turístico. Palabras clave:Motivaciones estudios universitarios en turismo; expectativas laborales en el sector turístico; análisis factorial; Grado en Turismo.

This paper studies equilibrium merging behavior in composite good industries. Component producers face the option to either merge with a similar component producer (horizontal merger) or a complementary one (vertical merger) of a composite good. Focusing only on strategic reasons, vertical mergers arise at equilibrium only when composite goods are very differentiated or when the number of producers is large while horizontal mergers arise otherwise. When efficiencies are considered, higher marginal cost savings are required for a horizontal merger in a composite industry not to result in a price increase as compared with those required for a regular industry. This finding can be used by antitrust authorities to be more demanding when dealing with horizontal mergers in composite goods industries.

Recently, economists have been increasingly interested in analyzing different variables that may affect subjective well-being (SWB), e.g., income, work, political and social environment, or habits. This paper attempts to ascertain if practicing sport and other hobbies explains higher levels of SWB. In order to control these variables, a homogenous sample of researchers and teachers from Italian Universities was used. Then, a comparison is established with another sample of Spanish students to see if there is any generational effect. Subjects of both samples answered a questionnaire on socio-demographic data, habits and SWB (measured by the "Life Satisfaction scale" and the "Psychological General Well-Being (PGWB) test"). A relation between practicing sport and SWB was found in the teacher sample. However, no relation between practicing hobbies and SWB was observed. Practicing sports is significant to explain SWB only in the teacher sample. These results must be considered to help design prevention policies in the public health field since practicing sport is an easy and cheap way to prevent or improve psychological diseases, and to generally improve citizens' quality of life.