Suicide risk and exposure to mobbing

The aim of this study was to study suicide risk in subjects exposed to mobbing, that is, systematic psychological harassment in the workplace. Such psychological harassment, unique to the workplace, threatens both the emotional well-being and professional ability of its victims. The items of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) that assess suicide risk were studied in 102 individuals who were exposed to mobbing. The results indicated that individuals exposed to mobbing had clear differences on the MMPI-2 from normative samples. In addition, those who appeared to be at risk for suicide differed in their scores from those not at risk. Implications for psychopathology and suicide preventions are discussed.     

Female management,overconfidence and debt maturity: European evidence

Journal of Management and Governance - This paper investigates how female involvement in management shapes the nature of the firm’s financial decisions in terms of debt maturity. It is...     

Multidimensional Pigou–Dalton transfers and social evaluation functions

We axiomatize, in the multidimensional case, a social evaluation function that can accommodate a natural Pigou–Dalton principle and correlation increasing majorization. This is performed by building upon a simple class of inframodular functions proposed by Müller and Scarsini under risk.     

TESTING COMMITMENT COST THEORY IN CHOICE EXPERIMENTS

In choice experiments, it is commonly assumed that individuals make choices in static and certainty decision‐making conditions. Real‐world choices, however, are usually made in a dynamic setting. Committing a purchase decision under conditions of uncertainty might have a “Commitment Cost” (CC). In this study, we test CC theory using a nonhypothetical choice experiment. Specifically, we test whether choice behavior and willingness to pay estimates differ when individuals have the option to gain present or delayed information or reverse the transaction. Our results suggest that the construction of a dynamic decision context can be relevant in the design of choice experiments. (JEL C90, C93, Q18)     

Migrants' entrepreneurship in transnational social fields: research in the Italian context

The aim of the article is to analyse the development of transnational economic activities run by migrants in Northern Italy. It is based on qualitative empirical research conducted in the three most important cities in northern Italy: Milan, Genoa, and Turin.

The article describes different kinds of transnational economic activity, identifying the subject of transnational transactions; the main clients (immigrant population or native population); the goods or services exchanged and their transnational impact; the expected social effects; and their positioning on a scale of transnational involvement.

The empirical cases considered are overland courier services on routes from Milan to Eastern Europe, shops owned by immigrants who offer ‘ethnic’ products in Milan and Genoa, and phone centres run by immigrants in Turin.

In the conclusion, the reactions of the receiving society and the question of public regulation are examined.     

Surviving underground: Irregular migrants,Italian families,invisible welfare

Ambrosini M. Surviving underground: irregular migrants, Italian families, invisible welfare The aim of this article, which focuses on the Italian case and its domestic and care sector, is to highlight two aspects. The first concerns the interaction among unauthorised migrants, the demand of their labour on the one hand and the other social actors they meet during their settling process on the other hand. The second concerns the nature of the irregularity of their condition, which is dynamic and often transient. Despite the increasingly fierce declarations, the reality does not correspond to the claims regarding control of the migration flows. Recognised or disguised forms of tolerance with only occasional implementation of severe measures – such as deportation – and regularisation processes of different kinds and with different purposes seem to be more the rule than the exception in Italy, as in other developed countries.     

Impact of performance indicators on organisations: a proposal for an evaluation model

This work aims at giving some guidelines to assess the impact of performance indicators on organisations. Performance measurement systems are usually introduced into organisations in order to monitor goal achievement, to allocate resources and to implement a strategy. However, the implementation of performance indicators may generate an alteration in the rational behaviour of the monitored structure. The risk of this impact is always present, and must be considered very carefully in order to preserve the organisation from a counter-productive effect. In the present analytical work, a reference model is proposed as a first step. This model considers all the organisational dimensions on which an indicator may exert its influence. The method makes use of the four Kaplan and Norton’s balanced scorecard perspectives in order to identify the dimensions on which an indicator may exert its impact. Previous works reported in scientific literature do not provide operational models for impact analysis, whereas, the proposed model is linked to an operative procedure in order to support management to make this analysis. The aim is to make the impact analysis less complex by structuring it in a sequence of predefined steps. The proposal is supported by some practical examples.     

Influence of substrate depth and vegetation type on temperature and water runoff mitigation by extensive green roofs: shrubs versus herbaceous plants

The relative contribution of substrate depth and vegetation type on temperature mitigation and stormwater runoff reduction was studied in an experimental green roof in North eastern Italy. Two substrate depths (120 and 200?mm) and two vegetation types (herbaceous plants and shrubs, respectively) were used, and compared to control modules with similar substrate depths but left bare of vegetation. Experimental observations showed that: a) green roofs substantially reduce thermal load over the rooftop, with significant effects of substrate depth and no apparent impact of vegetation type; b) thermal effects are strongly influenced by substrate water content; c) green roofs strongly reduce water runoff with significant substrate x vegetation effects. Our data suggest that green roof design addressed to optimization of the thermal functions should take into account adequate planning of substrate depth. Moreover, our data show that vegetated modules out-competed medium-only ones in terms of runoff reduction capacity, in accordance with some previous studies. Both shrub-vegetated and herbaceous modules intercepted and stored more than 90% rainfall during intense precipitation events, with no significant difference between the two vegetation types despite different substrate depths.     

Migration,Religion, and Residential Segregation at the Urban Level: The Case of Muslim Migrants in Rome and Milan

This article investigates residential segregation at the intraurban level of migrants in two Italian cities, Rome and Milan, considering religion as a point of reference in light of its pivotal role in terms of identity references for many migrants. The article focuses in particular on Muslim migrants—due to both the magnitude of their presence and complex issues related to their settlement in Italian cities. The analysis shows a low level of intraurban residential segregation of Muslim migrants in both cities, with some relevant differences related to national subgroups (e.g., a higher concentration for people coming from Bangladesh and Pakistan), so that religion seems not yet to be a main driver of residential choice for Muslim migrants. In light of both the low level of segregation of Muslim migrants and some features of Italian urban policies on migration and religion, we argue that residential concentration can currently play a beneficial role in terms of the insertion of migrants in Italian cities and fulfillment of some of their needs (e.g., availability of minority places of worship).     

Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor polymorphism rs2229765 and circulating interleukin-6 level affect male longevity in a population-based prospective study (Treviso Longeva--TRELONG)

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling modulation has been associated with increased lifespan in model organisms, while high levels of circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) are a marker of disability and mortality. In the prospective, population-based "Treviso Longeva"--TRELONG Study from Italy (n = 668, age range 70-105.5 years at baseline, followed for seven years) we investigated the effects of survival on the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) gene polymorphism rs2229765, the IL-6 gene promoter polymorphism rs1800795, and plasma concentrations of IGF-1 and IL-6, alone or in combination. We found a sex-dependent effect for the IGF-1R rs2229765 polymorphism, as male carriers of the homozygous A/A genotype survived longer, while the IL-6 rs1800795 genotype did not influence overall or sex-specific longevity. Higher IL-6 levels were more detrimental for survival among males than females, while IGF-1 had no dose-response effect. These findings sustain the hypothesis that sex-specific longevity relies on detectable differences in genetic and biochemical parameters between males and females.