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The contemporary university has evolved into a multifaceted institution, serving not only as a hub for research, professional training, and knowledge dissemination, but also as a pivotal component of economic machinery and societal advancement, especially within the context of globalization and intense competition. These institutions are now expected to significantly contribute to the socio-economic development of their surroundings, striving for excellence and competing within an increasingly interconnected global framework. To meet these heightened expectations, universities have undergone profound transformations over recent decades. This period of change is particularly notable within the Spanish context, mirroring the broader societal shifts since the onset of the democratic transition in 1975 through to the present day in 2024. This era has necessitated substantial reforms in university governance, equipping these institutions with the requisite tools to navigate and address emerging challenges effectively. A pivotal moment in this transformative journey was the enactment of the University Reform Law of 1983. Grounded in constitutional principles, this law marked a significant milestone in updating and revitalizing university education in Spain. After this, the Organic Law on Universities of 2001 further aligned the Spanish university framework with the broader European educational landscape, reinforcing the integration and competitiveness of Spanish institutions on a continental scale. However, to comprehensively grasp the magnitude and implications of these changes, it is essential to extend our analysis beyond the immediate past and explore the historical trajectory of Spanish universities over previous centuries. By examining this extensive historical context, we can better understand the foundational elements that have shaped the current state of higher education. This article aims to meticulously analyze the evolution of the Spanish university system, delineating the chronological progress, identifying persistent challenges, and engaging in a critical discourse on potential solutions. Through this examination, the article seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of the interplay between historical legacies and contemporary reforms, offering insights that are essential for shaping the future trajectory of higher education in Spain.

One of the current problems of the entrepreneurial world is the successful implementation of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), which is why it is interesting to study the variables that can influence its application in business. The main purpose of this paper is to establish a theoretical model through the literature review, that should consider the relationship between the transformational leadership among company staff (Avolio, Bass and Jung, 1999) and the empowerment of the rest of employees (Thomas and Velthouse, 1990 Spritzer, 1995) upon the achievement of an increased capacity for organizational learning in the implementation of the BSC in companies (Easterby-Smith & Araujo,1999) from the following perspectives: financial, customer, business process, learning and growth in major companies in the hotel sector, specifically in four and five-star hotels. The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a strategic management model (Norton & Kaplan, 1992) that allows the measurement and control of the tangible and intangible objectives based on the company´s mission and vision statements. The implementation of BSC has a great influence on the predisposition, training and motivation in middle as well as executive management through empowerment and leadership, hence the importance of the analysis of these variables by means of the BSC.

This paper presents an application of a prioritized weighted aggregation operator based on ordered weighted averaging (OWA) to deal with stakeholders' constructive participation in water resources projects. They have different degree of acceptance or preference regarding the measures and policies to be carried out, which lead to different environmental and socio-economic outcomes, and hence, to different levels of stakeholders’ satisfaction. The methodology establishes a prioritization relationship upon the stakeholders, which preferences are aggregated by means of weights depending on the satisfaction of the higher priority policy maker. The methodology establishes a prioritization relationship upon the stakeholders, which preferences are aggregated by means of weights depending on the satisfaction of the higher priority policy maker. The methodology has been successfully applied to a Public Participation Project (PPP) in watershed management, thus obtaining efficient environmental measures in conflict resolution problems under actors’ preference uncertainties.

There is a close relationship between engineering and mathematics, which has led to the development of new techniques in recent years. Likewise the developments in technology and computers have led to new ways of teaching mathematics for engineering students and the use of modern techniques and methods. This research aims to provide insight on how to deal with mathematical problems for engineering students. This is performed by means of a fuzzy set/Qualitative Comparative Analysis applied to conflict resolution of Public Participation Projects in support to the EU Water Framework Directive.