Balancing work and family in Italy: New mothersÂ’ employment decisions after childbirth

Compared with other European countries, the Italian labour market stands out for the low level of both female participation and fertility. In this paper we focus on the employment patterns of Italian mothers around the time of childbirth. Our hypothesis is that the difficulties involved in reconciling work and family when there are children are among the leading causes of the low female employment rate in Italy. Data from the 2002 Italian Birth Sample Survey show that about 20 per cent of mothers who were working before childbirth, stop working one and a half years after delivery and that about 14 per cent voluntarily decide to resign. The paper analyses the factors that most influence new mothersÂ’ unemployment risk after childbirth.female employment, childbirth, childcare

Assessing SMEs’ cybersecurity organizational readiness: Findings from an Italian survey

The Small and Medium-sized Enterprises’ (SMEs) level of organizational cybersecurity readiness has been poorly investigated to date. Currently, all SMEs need to maintain an adequate level of cybersecurity to run their businesses, not only those wishing to fully exploit digitalization’s benefits. Unfortunately, due to their lack of resources, skills, and their low level of cyber awareness, SMEs often seem unprepared. It is essential that they address the digital threats that they face by using technology and complementary (and not alternative) factors, such as guidelines, formal policies, and training. All these elements trigger development processes regarding skills, awareness, the organizational cybersecurity culture, and the organizational resilience. This paper describes Italy’s first multidisciplinary attempt to assess its SMEs’ overall cybersecurity readiness level. We used a survey as its initial quantitative assessment approach, although SMEs can also use it as a cyber self-assessment tool, which prepares them better to navigate the digital ecosystem. Thereafter, we held semi-structured interviews to explore the critical points that had emerged from the study’s first phase. The overall results show that SMEs have not yet achieved high levels of organizational readiness. SMEs are currently starting to set the stage for their organizational cyber readiness and will, therefore, have to take many more proactive steps to address their cyber challenges

Organizational cybersecurity readiness in the ICT sector: a quanti-qualitative assessment

Purpose – Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly widespread, and cybersecurity is therefore increasingly important. Although the technological aspects of cybersecurity are its best-known characteristics, the cybersecurity phenomenon goes beyond the detection of technological impacts, and encompasses all the dimensions of an organization. This study thus focusses on an additional set of organizational elements. The key elements of cybersecurity organizational readiness depicted here are cybersecurity awareness, cybersecurity culture and cybersecurity organizational resilience (OR). This study aims to qualitatively assess small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) overall level of organizational cybersecurity readiness. Design/methodology/approach – This study focused on conducting a cybersecurity organizational readiness assessment using a sample of 53 Italian SMEs from the information and communication technology sector. Informed mixed method research, this study was conducted consistent with the principles of the explanatory sequential mixed method design, and adopting a quanti-qualitative methodology. The quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire. Qualitative data were subsequently collected through semi-structured interviews. Findings – Although many elements of the technical aspects of cybersecurity OR have yielded very encouraging results, there are still some areas that require improvement. These include those facets that constitute the foundation of cybersecurity awareness, and, thus, a cybersecurity culture. This result highlights that the areas in need of improvement are exactly those that are most important in fighting against cyber threats via organizational cybersecurity readiness. Originality/value – Although the importance of SMEs is obvious, evidence of such organizations’ attitudes to cybersecurity are still limited. This research is an attempt to depict the organizational issue related to cybersecurity, i.e. overall cybersecurity organizational readiness

Organizational resilience: state of the art and new future cyber inquiries

Contemporary societies, and the organizational systems on which they rely, are increasingly exposed to unexpected disruptive events, such as the recent health or geo-political crises. Organizations therefore need a certain level of Organizational Resilience (OR). Since OR is a multifaceted concept, a first aim of this article is to find a trait d’union among many studies and conceptualizations of OR, stimulating academic debate, critical thinking, and further research. An additional goal is to propose a specific direction for future research leading to a better understanding of the characteristics that make organizations more resilient to an increasing relevant adverse phenomenon, namely cybersecurity and related cyberattacks. The authors develop a systematic literature review about the concept of OR in the Management and Organization science fields. A second facet is the authors’ proposed three-stage conceptual framework of OR, which is consistent with the relevant ideas emerging from the systematic literature review. A third section focuses on the exploration of relationships between cybersecurity and organizational domains, going beyond a purely technical focus. Results show that there is a need to address many unresolved research gaps, and to systematize the fragmentation of current Organization and Management research. It is clear that many critical areas still lack a solid and more comprehensive operationalization of OR, including cyber OR

Effects of Forwarder Operation on Soil Physical Characteristics: a Case Study in the Italian Alps

One of the most important issues in ground based wood extraction in forestry is to minimize the soil damage caused by heavy forestry machines. Generally, harvesting effects include changes in vegetation nutrient availability, soil microclimate/structure and litter quantity/ quality. Several studies were carried out on the impacts of heavy machines on the soil. However, only few studies took into consideration the effect of bogie tracks on the soil. The research focuses on the influence of forwarder machines equipped with bogie tracks on the soil compaction through changes of physical soil parameters and precisely bulk density, porosity, shear and penetration resistance. The study was carried out in a conifer stand of Larix decidua Mill. and Picea abies L. in a forest of North-eastern Italy during logging with forwarder. In this site, 3 tracks were identified, 2 concerned loaded forwarder passages and 1 control (no passages). The tracks were: (i) track A with a slope of 31% with 2 passages and track B with a slope of 3% having 10 passages. Soil samples were collected on all tracks in order to determine the influence of forwarder passes on soil physical properties. The results showed a different impact of logging operations on the soil of different tracks. \ua9 2016, University of Zagreb. All rights reserved

New and Reconditioned Electrical and Electronic Equipment. How does change the environmental performance?

The scope of this study, carried out within the LIFE12 ENV/IT001058 - "WEEENmodels" project, was to compare the environmental performance of the life cycle of new electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and the reused one through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Different set of replaced components have been evaluated in order to understand which determines the best solution. Finally, both attributional and consequential LCI (Life Cycle Inventory) modelling have been implemented. A representative product has been considered for each WEEE group, assuming that it generates the same environmental damage of the other products belonging to the same category. In particular, the following representative products have been selected: refrigerator (R1), washing machine (R2), cathode ray tube (CRT) (R3), laptop (R4) and fluorescent lamp (R5). In addition, in the use phase, lower performance of reconditioned EEE has been taken into account, e.g. higher energy consumptions. The lifespan of the reused product has been supposed to be equal to half-life time of an equivalent new product. This study evaluated different set of replaced components for each WEEE category in order to examine how the environmental performance can vary adopting different maintenance choices in the reconditioning step. In particular, Scenario A represents the set of replaced components, which damage more frequently; Scenario B is just an alternative set of replaced components. The environmental comparison between new and reused WEEE, adopting attributional LCI modelling, showed that Scenario B produces a damage decrease for all WEEE categories. Moving on the consequential LCI modelling, the environmental comparison highlighted for both scenarios a considerable damage reduction for the reused EEE respect the new one. In addition, Scenario B determined the best environmental performance. Furthermore, for the reused R1, R2, R3 the analysis of results carried out environmental credits. This is due to the avoided burdens associated to the manufacturing of the new EEE, since the system boundaries have been enlarged until to considering the avoided production of the new product. Attributional and consequential LCI modelling performed different LCIA results. Following the methodological guidance for the identification of the most adequate LCI modelling framework presented by Laurent et al., 2014, it would recommend to adopt consequential LCI modelling. But we suggest to LCA practitioner to focus also the attention on the request of who commissioned the project, which often in the waste field are local administrations. Generally, they wants a snapshot of the real effects that waste management policies provoke on human health and environment. For this reason, attributional LCI modelling would be the proper LCI modelling to achieve this scope. Considering this LCI modelling the Scenario B determines the best environmental performance

Management of Asbestos Containing Materials: A Detailed LCA Comparison of Different Scenarios Comprising First Time Asbestos Characterization Factor Proposal

This work addresses the complex issue of asbestos containing materials (ACMs) management, by focusing on the scenario of six municipalities comprised in the Reggio Emilia province of Emilia Romagna Italian region. Particularly, the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was applied in order to assess in a quantitative and reliable manner the human toxicity as well as the ecotoxicity impacts associated with all of the different phases of ACMs management. The latter comprises mapping of ACMs, creation of a risk map for defining priority of intervention, encapsulation and removal of ACMs, as well as the as obtained asbestos containing waste (ACW) end of life. Particularly, a thermal inertisation treatment performed in a continuous industrial furnace was considered as the innovative end of life scenario to be compared with what actually was provided by the legislation of many countries worldwide, that is, the disposal of ACW in a controlled landfill for hazardous wastes. A characterization factor for asbestos fibers released both in outdoor air and in occupational setting was proposed for the first time and included in the USEtox 2.0 impact assessment method. This allowed us to reliably and quantitatively highlight that inertisation treatments should be the preferred solutions to be adopted by local and national authorities, especially if the obtained inert material finds application as secondary raw materials, thus contributing to a decrease in the environmental damage (limited to its toxicological contributions) to be associated with asbestos management