Hospital differences in rates of cesarean deliveries in the Sardinian region: An observational study

Background: The rates of cesarean deliveries have been increasing steadily in several European countries in recent decades, with Italy having the second-highest rate (38% in 2010), causing concern and debate about the appropriateness of many interventions. Moreover, some recent studies suggest that rates of common obstetric interventions are not homogeneous across hospitals, maybe not only because of patient case mix but also possibly because of different hospital practices and cultures. Thus, it is important to investigate whether the variation in rates of cesarean sections can be traced back to patient characteristics or whether it depends upon context variables at the hospital level. Objective and method: Using official hospital abstracts on deliveries that occurred in Sardinia over a two-year period, we implement multilevel logistic regression models in order to assess whether the observed differences in cesarean rates across hospitals can be justified by case-mix differences across hospitals. Results: The between-hospital variation in rates of cesarean delivery is estimated to be 0.388 in the model with only the intercept and 0.382 in the model controlling for the mother’s clinical and sociodemographic characteristics. Conclusions: The results show that taking into account the individual characteristics of delivered mothers is not enough to justify the observed variation across hospital rates, suggesting the important role of unobserved variables at the hospital level in determining cesarean section rates

An evaluation of the variability of episiotomy rates across hospitals: the case of Sardinia

The aim of this paper is to assess the extent of variation in the use of episiotomy across hospitals and to evaluate how much of this variation can be explained by case-mix factors. Using ocial hospital abstracts on deliveries occurred in the hospitals of the Italian region of Sardinia during 2009, we implement a multilevel logistic model in order to predict the likelihood of an episiotomy from a set of covariates which includes both socio-demographic and clinical indices. Results suggest that, with the exception of education, socio-demographic variables were not signicant in determining episiotomy while several clinical predictors were signicant. Our main nding is that almost half of the variation in episiotomy rates remains unexplained after conditioning on clinical indicators and socio-demographic factors

The Role of Digitalization in Cross-Border E-Commerce Performance of Italian SMEs

The utilization of digital technologies is rapidly increasing businesses’ capacities for innovation and growth, especially in the case of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with strong benefits in efficiency, competitiveness, and market reach. We aimed to study the impact of digital technologies on cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) in Italian SMEs, with regard to three main ICT areas: e-business, e-marketing, and e-commerce. Using a regression analysis, the study found that e-business tools have an unclear impact on cross-border e-commerce, while e-marketing tools, such as data tracking for medium-sized enterprises and social media for all SMEs, have a positive and significant impact on the online export performance. Finally, we examined the impact of being present on a marketplace rather than having a proprietary e-commerce website, and we found that having a presence on marketplaces such as Amazon or Alibaba is more effective than having a proprietary e-commerce website in terms of cross-border online sales. These results are useful both for policy makers and managers, since making informed decisions to develop SMEs is crucial for industrial strategy effectiveness

Job Satisfaction and Subjective Well-Being in Europe

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Profilo Economico delle Donne nel Disagio Post-Partum. Un’indagine Empirica Presso l’ospedale Niguarda di Milano

The purpose of this work is the study of the personal characteristics of mothers who requested the child-care benefits of the project called “Fiocchi in Ospedale” in the days immediately following childbirth. The work is based on the results of a survey led at Niguarda Hospital in Milan involving a sample of 120 women, some of them enrolled in the project “Fiocchi in Ospedale”. The results of a probit analysis show that: (i) the unemployment condition of the mother is one of the main predictors for the need for assistance; (ii) there is an inverted “U-shaped” relationship between age of the mother and the need for assistance. (iii) the education of the mother seems to not significantly affect the likelihood of benefits

The Effect of the Adoption of an Alternative Corporate Governance System on Firms’ Performances. The Case of Italian Unlisted SMEs.

Purpose – Alternative corporate governance systems (CGSs) have attracted a significant bulk of research recently. While the connection between the adoption of an alternative system (one tier board or two tier board system) and firms’ performances has not been fully analysed yet, the purpose of this paper is to analyse whether companies which have turned into an alternative board system have eventually improved their performance over time. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of more than 15,000 Italian unlisted joint stock companies, the authors compare performance outcomes in 2009 of firms adopting alternative systems with performances of firms that maintained the system in force before the 2003 Corporate Law Reform (defined as “traditional”). Because of the choice of an alternative system (one tier or two tier board) instead of a traditional one is not random, the authors reduce selection bias implementing matching methods and comparing firms that are close in terms of propensity score measured in 2003 (the year before the new CGSs have been introduced by a corporate law reform). Findings – The authors do not find evidence of a significant improvement of performances in 2009 concerning those firms that have adopted a one tier or two tier board systems with respect to those which maintained a traditional one. Originality/value – The novelty of the study concerns the application of propensity score matching for the evaluation of the impact of the change of the CGS that is possible in presence of two conditions that are all verified in our setting: first, to have a country where corporate law allows for choosing among different systems; in this case Italy is a good laboratory, because it allows for the choice among three different systems; and second, to have the opportunity to evaluate the effect of the change in light of a relatively recent “pre-treatment” condition; this is made possible by the fact that before the 2003 Reform of corporate law all the companies had a traditional system

Stock Returns, Productivity, and Corruption in Eight European Fast-Emerging Markets

This article addresses the impact of productivity, corruption, and trade openness on the stock returns of 265 industrial companies listed in eight Eastern European fast-emerging markets, over the 2004–2013 period. Through a three-factor model that includes both measures at firm level and macro-level control variables, our findings suggest that country corruption index is negatively correlated with the total annual return of the stocks of the listed industrial companies of our sample. Moreover, the most productive firms are featured by higher stock returns, while leverage seems not to be a key predictor of stock returns. In addition, the article uncovers innovative evidence about trade openness that is negatively correlated with stock returns due to its connection with the recent financial crisis

Arqueozoología de un contexto minero: minas paramillos sur (Mendoza, Argentina).

En este artículo se presentan los resultados referentes al análisis arqueozoológico del material recuperado en las recolecciones superficiales y excavaciones sistemáticas realizadas en el sitio histórico - arqueológico Minas Paramillos Sur (MPS). Este sitio se encuentra en el sector de Precordillera de la Reserva Natural Villavicencio (Mendoza, Argentina), correspondiente a los períodos cronológicos de mediados de siglo XIX y principios del XX. El propósito de este trabajo es contribuir al conocimiento de las prácticas y hábitos de procesamiento, consumo y descarte de los recursos faunísticos de este contexto particular, la cual evidencia una marcada predominancia de los taxones Lama guanicoe y Bos taurus, sobresaliendo la presencia cuantitativa (NISP) del esqueleto apendicular por sobre el axial. Asimismo y de manera complementaria, se identifican y calibran agentes y procesos tafonómicos que pudieron perturbar la muestra bajo análisis, por ejemplo estadios de meteorización y la acción de carnívoros, roedores y raícespublishedVersio