The antecedents of e-learning adoption within Italian corporate universities: A comparative case study

The implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in business education appears to be influenced by a number of organizational issues, such as culture and technological sophistication. However, extant research has had very little to say about the antecedents that shape the adoption and diffusion of ICT across companies. In order to shed light on the phenomenon under investigation, this paper presents a comparative case study between five Italian companies that have instituted a corporate university. By distinguishing companies in typical cases and deviant cases with regard to the extensive use of e-learning technologies, our findings provide some useful insights about the antecedents that make companies more or less prone to employ the new frontiers of technology in their CUs

Toward an Actor-Network approach for investigating education and learning within a corporate university: a world of heterogeneous assemblages

Education and learning in organizations are dynamic in nature and conventionally considered to depend on sociality. Nevertheless, the development of technologies has provoked impassable impacts. The theoretical proposal of knowledge as a collective activity (knowing) drives to the concept of situated learning. However, material artifacts tend to be ignored. Conversely, this research recognizes the importance of considering the organization as a heterogeneous assemblage of social, material and practices. This suggests a methodological shift to question the canonical analysis of the organization and learning theories. Actor-Network Theory (ANT) surfaces the materiality of practices, creating a foundational for regarding objects as legitimate actors. Assuming that it is no longer possible to separate sociality from materiality, this study pioneers adult learning settings

Bose-Einstein condensates in 1D optical lattices: compressibility, Bloch bands and elementary excitations

We discuss the Bloch-state solutions of the stationary Gross-Pitaevskii equation and of the Bogoliubov equations for a Bose-Einstein condensate in the presence of a one-dimensional optical lattice. The results for the compressibility, effective mass and velocity of sound are analysed as a function of the lattice depth and of the strength of the two-body interaction. The band structure of the spectrum of elementary excitations is compared with the one exhibited by the stationary solutions (``Bloch bands''). Moreover, the numerical calculations are compared with the analytic predictions of the tight binding approximation. We also discuss the role of quantum fluctuations and show that the condensate exhibits 3D, 2D or 1D features depending on the lattice depth and on the number of particles occupying each potential well. We finally show how, using a local density approximation, our results can be applied to study the behaviour of the gas in the presence of harmonic trapping.Comment: version published in EPJ

Revisioning the Devī Māhātmya: A Creative Approach to Ecofeminism

This creative project consists of two parts and revisions the 6th century puranic Goddess myth Devī Māhātmya through a critical ecofeminist lens. The first part serves as an introduction into mythology, ecofeminism, and the historical and contextual aspects of the Devī Māhātmya. This academic essay investigates how myths provide humanity with a sense of meaning and belonging. The second part of this project is a creative writing piece and a contemporary revision of the Devī Māhātmya. The aim of this approach is to demonstrate the extent to which myths continue to inform and shape us, with particular regard to the impact such narratives have on women and the natural world. Moreover, this creative project is a call to revisit old stories and find new, more empowering narratives which affirm the intrinsic value of women and the natural world

Veritas Fax Ardens – Truth Is a Flaming Torch

Based on the vast amount of truth theories that have been suggested by a myriad of thinkers from various disciplines, it can be inferred that the question of truth has occupied humankind since the beginning of its existence. Even though some of these theories appear more promising than others, it also seems that every suggested answer poses yet further questions about what truth really is. This seemingly endless stream of debates and contradictory theories further indicates that the nature of truth remains an enigma and subject to interpretation. Reflecting on Dominican University’s Latin motto “Veritas Fax Ardens” (Truth Is a Flaming Torch), this thesis explores the nature and subjectivity of truth in the form of narrative nonfiction. In particular, this creative work asks what truth is, and how different thinkers from disciplines such as philosophy, religion, science, and literature approach the question of truth. Lastly, it is also a reflection of my academic journey, which led me to believe that truth might be as variable as the flickering light of a flaming torch