Essays on European penology: socio-political and spatial dimensions of its making

Una grande quantità di ricerche si concentra sull'Europa e le sue interazioni con altri spazi attraverso l'esame delle politiche dell'Unione Europea. Coloro che hanno creato e contribuito alla letteratura sull'Europa come potere normativo mettono un'enfasi speciale sull'Unione Europea e sul suo significato, trascurando la cooperazione normativa tra questa organizzazione e il Consiglio d'Europa. Basandosi sull'argomento delle due Europe, questa tesi cerca di andare oltre la concettualizzazione iniziale esclusiva dell'Europa politica. Concentrandosi su un fenomeno relativamente nuovo - la penologia europea, un costrutto giuridico-politico con una complessa architettura normativa e istituzionale - la presente ricerca propone uno sguardo nuovo al dibattito sulla produzione e diffusione delle norme, esaminando le interazioni tra entità internazionali, europee e nazionali. Avendo in mente le istituzioni e le loro caratteristiche specifiche che partecipano alla creazione del sistema penologico europeo (per esempio, consultivo, di controllo, preventivo, giudiziario), la tesi con i suoi quattro saggi indipendenti esplora diverse dimensioni della penologia europea. In primo luogo, per andare oltre le interpretazioni semplicistiche degli studi sulle norme in cui le istituzioni europee sviluppano valori/norme per poi diffonderli su specifici territori di interesse, la presente tesi problematizza questa questione contestualizzando la partecipazione del Caucaso del Sud nella costruzione delle norme penologiche europee. Per fare ciò, viene dato un breve resoconto della creazione/sviluppo delle norme all'interno di una particolare istituzione - la Corte Europea dei Diritti dell'Uomo. Inoltre, per comprendere la base di conoscenza stessa, la tesi si rivolge al gergo della penologia europea. Un'indagine corpus linguistica delle pratiche discorsive istituzionali rivela la specificità di questo sistema di conoscenza e rivela una forte presenza del discorso sui diritti umani fortemente incorporato e inquadrato dalla Convenzione Europea dei Diritti Umani. Per localizzare la penologia europea all'interno delle tendenze moderne della giustizia attuariale dove la strategia riabilitativa delle prigioni è venuta meno di fronte alle correnti neoliberali del managerialismo, la tesi conduce un'analisi diacronica del cambiamento semantico nella penologia europea. Nel fare ciò, cerca di localizzare i cambiamenti semantici che avvengono nel gergo penologico. La ricerca rivela tre dimensioni: (i) perseveranza del discorso sui diritti umani, (ii) processo di apprendimento dalle controparti globali, e (iii) un lento passaggio da una penologia incentrata sul benessere a una mentalità ossessionata dal rischio e dalla gestione. Infine, per comprendere l'intero spettro di influenze che avvengono all'interno della penologia europea, la tesi si concentra sugli attori che partecipano alla co-costruzione di questa base di conoscenza. Tre categorie di entità, vale a dire organizzazioni, entità geopolitiche e documenti/norme legali, sembrano influenzare la penologia europea in modi diversi

An Entrepreneurship Perspective on the Formation and Growth of Business Groups in the Small Business Sector

This thesis is a contribution to our understanding of business groups in the small busi-ness sector. Specifically, its aim is to verify to what extent the consideration of entrepre-neurial processes can advance our understanding of this phenomenon. A ‘business group’ is a set of companies which are legally distinct but belong to the same person or people. Despite the significant presence of business groups in the small business sector, most of the literature on business groups addresses large groups. This study demonstrates that the available theories of business groups – the financial and the diversification theories – are not able to explain the presence and characteristics of business groups in the small business sector. Given the little work done on the issue, the research strategy involves the use of both, quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods are used to test propositions deduced from available models of business groups; qualitative methods, based on case studies and direct interviews, are used to get new insights about the phenomenon and develop theoretical propositions. Quantitative analyses refer to the population of Italian business groups; case studies and interviews refer to a sample of business groups in the Marche region (Italy). The business group is an organizational form used by portfolio entrepreneurs to grow and diversify the businesses under their control. By using cross sectional and longitudinal analyses this study shows that in the small business sector diversification is a substitute strategy for growth in the original business. Moreover, this study demonstrates that the diversification theory is not able to explain the setting up of a business group as in most cases the degree of diversification observed in small groups is very low. The thesis demonstrates that entrepreneurial processes associated with the exploitation of new business opportunities by portfolio entrepreneurs play a crucial role in explaining the formation and characteristics of business groups. The start-up phase is critical for the success of a new business as it requires complete dedication of time and attention by the entrepreneur to continuously adjust the planned actions to the unforeseen events and un-predictable contingencies that are typical of this phase. The legal autonomy granted to the new venture helps focus resources and monitor results. In addition to this and more than anything else, legal autonomy allows entrepreneurs to modify the ownership structure of the new business and give minority shares to people involved in the start-up. The financial explanation of business groups stresses the importance of legal autonomy as a way for manipulating the ownership structure of new businesses, to raise outside equity. The thesis demonstrates that the causal relationship is the opposite of that hypothesised by the financial explanation: it is not so much the aim of raising outside equity that determines the involvement of external shareholders as the need to involve and motivate people in the start up of the new business that induces entrepreneurs to sell minority shares in it, thus enlarging the entrepreneurial team. By involving other people in the start-up of new ventures, portfolio entrepreneurs enhance their ability to enter new businesses while retaining ownership and control of the ones already established. The empirical analysis revealed the existence of three different patterns: joint venture with established entrepreneurs, employee involvement and intrapreneurship. The first is when new ventures are set up with other established entrepreneurs. The second is when the entrepreneur gives a share of the new company to an employee to secure his/her involvement in the start-up of a new venture (employee involvement). The third is when the new business is established as a result of the inspiration of an ‘intrapreneurial’ employee who takes major responsibility for the development of the business. As well as the discovery and analysis of these three forms, the thesis provides a theoretical explanation of entrepreneurial team development in business groups, based on the problems faced by portfolio entrepreneurs in allocating time and attention between the running of established businesses and the exploitation of new business opportunities. By integrating the latter explanation with other models of business groups the thesis provides a more general framework for understanding the formation and dynamics of business groups in the small business sector. The thesis also provides contributions to explain the formation and dynamics of entrepreneurial teams in a multi business context and in situations where there is a ‘dominant’ or ‘lead’ entrepreneur and one or more ‘associate’ or ‘sub’ entrepreneurs. Studying the formation and evolution of business groups poses several methodological problems, as groups are complex systems, characterised by the presence of several companies, different architectural structures and a multi-business context. The thesis provides methodological contributions on the ways to represent the current structure of business groups and on how to analyse their evolution over time

Coronectomy of deeply impacted lower third molar : incidence of outcomes and complications after one year follow-up

Objectives: The purpose of present study was to assess the surgical management of impacted third molar with proximity to the inferior alveolar nerve and complications associated with coronectomy in a series of patients undergoing third molar surgery. Material and Methods: The position of the mandibular canal in relation to the mandibular third molar region and mandibular foramen in the front part of the mandible (i.e., third molar in close proximity to the inferior alveolar nerve [IAN] or not) was identified on panoramic radiographs of patients scheduled for third molar extraction. Results: Close proximity to the IAN was observed in 64 patients (35 females, 29 males) with an impacted mandibular third molar. Coronectomy was performed in these patients. The most common complication was tooth migration away from the mandibular canal (n = 14), followed by root exposure (n = 5). Re-operation to remove the root was performed in cases with periapical infection and root exposure. Conclusions: The results indicate that coronectomy can be considered a reasonable and safe treatment alternative for patients who demonstrate elevated risk for injury to the inferior alveolar nerve with removal of the third molars. Coronectomy did not increase the incidence of damage to the inferior alveolar nerve and would be safer than complete extraction in situations in which the root of the mandibular third molar overlaps or is in close proximity to the mandibular canal

Participant Perceptions of Knowledge Sharing in a Higher Education Community of Practice

As the source of economic wealth continues to transition from a late industrial era to an early knowledge era, the foundation of success in the 21st century relates to a dependency on knowledge-based assets such as ideas, processes, and information (Alavi & Leidner, 2001; Sallis & Jones, 2002; Søndergaard, Kerr, & Clegg, 2007; Sveiby, 1997). During this transition, the emergent discipline of knowledge management in business and in education has evolved from a techno-centric approach (Alavi & Leidner, 2001; McAdam & McGreedy, 1999; McElroy, 2000) to a holistic social process oriented toward meeting institutional demands for new knowledge and geared toward learning and innovation (McElroy, 2003; Sallis & Jones, 2002). Prior research has indicated a need to examine the use of a community of practice model as a knowledge management strategy (Ramchand & Pan, 2012; Roberts, 2006; Ropes, 2009). This qualitative research study presented an examination of the knowledge-sharing perceptions of members of a public postsecondary state university system (SUS) community of practice comprised of university registrars. Data collection used in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Analysis of data strongly indicated that the registrars were engaged in collective learning with a strong emphasis on problem-solving. Furthermore, data analysis provided evidence that the participants’ community of practice had synergistic value within the SUS. Moreover, data analysis substantiated that the significant engagement in knowledge sharing activities and the subsequent knowledge development were facilitated by social processes. As a result, this study of the SUS registrar community of practice can serve as a knowledge management strategy

A practical guide to multi-objective reinforcement learning and planning

Real-world sequential decision-making tasks are generally complex, requiring trade-offs between multiple, often conflicting, objectives. Despite this, the majority of research in reinforcement learning and decision-theoretic planning either assumes only a single objective, or that multiple objectives can be adequately handled via a simple linear combination. Such approaches may oversimplify the underlying problem and hence produce suboptimal results. This paper serves as a guide to the application of multi-objective methods to difficult problems, and is aimed at researchers who are already familiar with single-objective reinforcement learning and planning methods who wish to adopt a multi-objective perspective on their research, as well as practitioners who encounter multi-objective decision problems in practice. It identifies the factors that may influence the nature of the desired solution, and illustrates by example how these influence the design of multi-objective decision-making systems for complex problems. © 2022, The Author(s)

An entrepreneurship perspective on the formation and growth of business groups in the small business sector

This thesis is a contribution to our understanding of business groups in the small busi-ness sector. Specifically, its aim is to verify to what extent the consideration of entrepre-neurial processes can advance our understanding of this phenomenon. A ‘business group’ is a set of companies which are legally distinct but belong to the same person or people. Despite the significant presence of business groups in the small business sector, most of the literature on business groups addresses large groups. This study demonstrates that the available theories of business groups – the financial and the diversification theories – are not able to explain the presence and characteristics of business groups in the small business sector. Given the little work done on the issue, the research strategy involves the use of both, quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods are used to test propositions deduced from available models of business groups; qualitative methods, based on case studies and direct interviews, are used to get new insights about the phenomenon and develop theoretical propositions. Quantitative analyses refer to the population of Italian business groups; case studies and interviews refer to a sample of business groups in the Marche region (Italy). The business group is an organizational form used by portfolio entrepreneurs to grow and diversify the businesses under their control. By using cross sectional and longitudinal analyses this study shows that in the small business sector diversification is a substitute strategy for growth in the original business. Moreover, this study demonstrates that the diversification theory is not able to explain the setting up of a business group as in most cases the degree of diversification observed in small groups is very low. The thesis demonstrates that entrepreneurial processes associated with the exploitation of new business opportunities by portfolio entrepreneurs play a crucial role in explaining the formation and characteristics of business groups. The start-up phase is critical for the success of a new business as it requires complete dedication of time and attention by the entrepreneur to continuously adjust the planned actions to the unforeseen events and un-predictable contingencies that are typical of this phase. The legal autonomy granted to the new venture helps focus resources and monitor results. In addition to this and more than anything else, legal autonomy allows entrepreneurs to modify the ownership structure of the new business and give minority shares to people involved in the start-up. The financial explanation of business groups stresses the importance of legal autonomy as a way for manipulating the ownership structure of new businesses, to raise outside equity. The thesis demonstrates that the causal relationship is the opposite of that hypothesised by the financial explanation: it is not so much the aim of raising outside equity that determines the involvement of external shareholders as the need to involve and motivate people in the start up of the new business that induces entrepreneurs to sell minority shares in it, thus enlarging the entrepreneurial team. By involving other people in the start-up of new ventures, portfolio entrepreneurs enhance their ability to enter new businesses while retaining ownership and control of the ones already established. The empirical analysis revealed the existence of three different patterns: joint venture with established entrepreneurs, employee involvement and intrapreneurship. The first is when new ventures are set up with other established entrepreneurs. The second is when the entrepreneur gives a share of the new company to an employee to secure his/her involvement in the start-up of a new venture (employee involvement). The third is when the new business is established as a result of the inspiration of an ‘intrapreneurial’ employee who takes major responsibility for the development of the business. As well as the discovery and analysis of these three forms, the thesis provides a theoretical explanation of entrepreneurial team development in business groups, based on the problems faced by portfolio entrepreneurs in allocating time and attention between the running of established businesses and the exploitation of new business opportunities. By integrating the latter explanation with other models of business groups the thesis provides a more general framework for understanding the formation and dynamics of business groups in the small business sector. The thesis also provides contributions to explain the formation and dynamics of entrepreneurial teams in a multi business context and in situations where there is a ‘dominant’ or ‘lead’ entrepreneur and one or more ‘associate’ or ‘sub’ entrepreneurs. Studying the formation and evolution of business groups poses several methodological problems, as groups are complex systems, characterised by the presence of several companies, different architectural structures and a multi-business context. The thesis provides methodological contributions on the ways to represent the current structure of business groups and on how to analyse their evolution over time.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

"International workshop on socio-economic impacts of genetically modified crops co-organised by JRC-IPTS and FAO"

This JRC Scientific and Technical report provides proceedings of the "International workshop on socio-economic impacts of genetically modified (GM) crops" which was co-organised by JRC-IPTS and FAO in Seville on 23-24 November 2011. JRC-IPTS has been requested to review for policy makers the main findings of scientists active in this field world-wide in co-operation with FAO. The objective of this workshop, which was directed at socio-economic experts from the Competent Authorities of the EU Member States and staff from the EC, was to start the technical discussions between the Member States and the Commission to define factors and indicators allowing a proper capture of the impacts of GMOs in the EU. The workshop covered the following topics: Session 1: Adoption of GM crop varieties and socio-economic impacts on farmers Session 2: Aggregated and global impacts of GM technology in agriculture Session 3: Economics of segregation/coexistence of supply chains Session 4: Socio economic impacts of GM crops: examples of use in decision-making Session 5: Economic compensation, liability issues and institutional framework influencing adoption of GM crops Session 6: Research on consumer attitudes, direct/indirect impacts of GM crops on consumers including health issues Session 7: Looking forward: New GM crops in the pipeline and their possible economic and social impactsJRC.J.4-Agriculture and Life Sciences in the Econom

Bringing Society Back into the Theory of the Firm: the Adaptation of the Mondragon Cooperative Model in Valencia and Beyond

The purpose of this dissertation is to challenge the predominant theories of the firm in economics by demonstrating that the firm can only be properly understood if the importance of cooperation based on trust and loyalty, and the ability of the firm to achieve that cooperation by influencing the social foundations of behaviour, is appreciated. Chapter 1 demonstrates that neglecting this ‘social nature’ of the firm renders the predominant theories incomplete and incompatible, with contract-based theories clinging to a rigid model of behaviour and competence-based theories failing to develop the social foundations of knowledge. The second chapter constructs a theory of the firm that rectifies these shortcomings by maintaining that the firm fulfils its purpose of developing and applying productive knowledge by achieving cooperation, which, along with the dual function of achieving coordination, involves a combination of organisational structures and organisational culture. In Chapter 3, this theory reveals that, contrary to deterministic views on organisation and economic development, a range of organisational forms are possible for any given technology or culture, and that organisation in fact shapes technology and culture. In Chapter 4, the dissertation shows that, contrary to the predominant theories of the firm, cooperative firms may have an inherent advantage in achieving cooperation based on trust and loyalty, and in maintaining that cooperation while also achieving the coordination required for advanced technologies. Although this ability may be suppressed by the prevailing institutional environment, the case of Mondragón, discussed in Chapter 5, demonstrates that it can be activated by innovations such as cooperative groups and ‘second-tier coops’. Although Mondragón’s success has been attributed to the uniquely cooperative traits of Basque culture (as opposed to its structural innovations), Chapter 6 demonstrates through primary and secondary research that Mondragón has in fact been used as model across the globe.Fieldwork in Valencia was funded by the Santander Universities Research Travel Grant

Money and sustainability: Transitioning to an ecological monetary system

A profound transformation of our monetary paradigm is urgently needed. To re-think, re-imagine, and re-design our monetary system is of critical priority if we want to have a chance at sustainability. The current dominant monetary-banking-financial system is inherently, and by design, a source and a force of unsustainability lying at the core of our economies and societies. It's a system actively contributing to ecological degradation, socio-political crises, and economic instability, uncertainty, and alienation. But there are alternatives and these must be given the spotlight. Not tweaks or reforms to the system, but radical shifts in how we deal, use, relate to, and feel regarding money. The societal challenge we must embrace is rapidly transitioning our monetary reality into a purposeful ecological monetary ecosystem aligned with the regeneration of our planet and all life in it. This Doctoral thesis contributes to the emergence and development of a new monetary paradigm with planet and people at its core. The research is intrinsically transdisciplinary and based on mixed-methods. Different methodologies were used, combining qualitative with quantitative methods and more passive research with more action-oriented transformative research, including field visits, interviews with practioners, and direct interaction with local and regional complementary currency experiments. By combining a transdisciplinary literature review with an action-research approach this thesis offers novel insights into the transition process to an ecological monetary ecosystem. A set of regenerative principles and priorities for monetary reform that would enable us to root money back into the real economy, coherent with the laws of physics and aligned with an ecology of life is offered. Moreover, a model for a multi-currency ecosystem is explored and presented at the end of this thesis. The implications of such a fundamental revolution in the core design of our increasingly monetized economies could potentially put us back on track and re-align our socio-economic and political system with our climate agreements, our SDG and our intentions for peace and prosperity.Uma profunda transformação do nosso paradigma monetário é urgentemente necessária. Re-pensar, re-imaginar, e re-desenhar o nosso sistema monetário é uma prioridade societal crítica se quisermos garantir a nossa sustentabilidade. O actual sistema monetário-bancário-financeiro dominante é inerentemente, e por design, uma fonte e uma força de insustentabilidade que se encontra no cerne das nossas economias e sociedades. É um sistema que contribui activamente para a degradação ecológica, crises sócio-políticas, e para a instabilidade, incerteza e alienação económica. Mas existem alternativas e estas têm de ser objecto de atenção especial. Não ajustamentos ou "reformas" ao sistema, mas mudanças radicais na forma como lidamos, utilizamos, nos relacionamos e sentimos em relação ao dinheiro. O desafio social que temos de abraçar é a rápida transição das nossas realidades monetárias para um ecossistema propositadamente alinhado com a regeneração do nosso planeta e de toda a vida. Esta tese de doutoramento contribui para a emergência e desenvolvimento de um novo paradigma monetário com o planeta e as pessoas no seu âmago. A investigação é intrinsecamente transdisciplinar e baseada numa abordagem de métodos mistos. Foram utilizadas diferentes metodologias, combinando métodos qualitativos com métodos quantitativos, e investigação mais passiva com investigação transformadora mais orientada para a acção, incluindo visitas de campo, entrevistas e interacção directa com experiências de moedas complementares locais e regionais. Ao combinar uma revisão transdisciplinar da literatura, com uma abordagem de investigaçãoacção, esta tese oferece novas ideias e concepções sobre o processo de transição para um ecossistema monetário ecológico. É oferecido um conjunto de princípios regenerativos e prioridades para a reforma monetária que nos permitiria enraizar o dinheiro de volta à economia real, coerente com as leis da física e alinhado com uma ecologia da vida. No final da tese é ainda explorado e apresentado um modelo para um ecosistema monetário com base na co-existência de múltiplos circuitos monetários. As implicações de uma tal revolução no nosso sistema monetário e no centro das nossas economias, cada vez mais monetizadas, poderão ser potenciadoras de uma transição para um novo caminho societal, alinhado com os nossos acordos climáticos, os nossos ODS e as nossas intenções de paz e prosperidade