Emotions, moods and hyperreality: social media and the stock market during the first phase of COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: This paper aims to expand the emerging literature on COVID-19 and the financial markets by searching for a relationship between the uncertainty of the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic experienced through social media and the extreme volatility of the Italian stock market. Design/methodology/approach: The authors analyze the relationship between social media and stock market trends during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of social theory and Baudrillard's simulacra and hyperreality theory. The authors conducted the data analysis in two phases: the emotional and Granger correlation analysis by using the KPI6 software to analyze 3,275,588 tweets for the predominant emotion on each day and observe its relationship with the stock market. Findings: The research results show a significant Granger causality relation between tweets on a particular day and the closing price of the FTSE MIB during the first phase of the COVID-19 epidemic. The results highlight a strong relationship between social media hyperreality and the real world. The study confirms the role of social media in predicting stock market volatility. Research limitations/implications: The findings have theoretical and practical implications as they reveal the relevance of social media in our society and its relationship with businesses and economies. In an emergency, social media, as an expression of users' feelings and emotions, can generate a state of hyperreality that is strong correlated with reality. Since social media allows users to publish and share messages without any filter and mediation, the hyperreality generated is affected by highly subjective elements. Originality/value: This research is different from the previous ones on the same topic because unlike previous studies, conducted under normal or simulated scenarios, this study is focused on the first phase of an unpredictable and unforeseen emergency event: the COVID-19 pandemic. This research adopts a multidisciplinary approach and integrates previous studies on the economic and financial effects generated by social media by applying well-known theories to a new and unexplored context. The study reveals the significant impact generated by social media on stock markets during a global pandemic

On the possible tools for the prevention of non-performing loans. A case study of an Italian bank

This work analyses the contribution of an Information Systems (IS) to the implementation of credit monitoring as a new integrated process to prevent non-performing loans in a small bank. The study focuses on the process of active monitoring of the entire credit portfolio, aimed at guiding the best migration between risk classes. This is understood as a set of integrated activities, in which the quality of information becomes a major determinant of the outcome. Such tools support risk management in the decision-making process and aiding performance evaluation. The purpose of this work is to highlight the possibility of an IS to support this new integrated process of credit monitoring, providing increasingly reliable data, availability on demand and real-time information

Influence of ns laser texturing of AISI 316L surfaces for reducing bacterial adhesion

Nanosecond pulsed laser texturing has been performed on stainless steel with the objective of developing surface treatments to reduce bacterial adhesion on mechanical components in food handling machinery. The adhesion of Escherichia coli (E. coli) on four distinct textures has been investigated with standardised protocols for measurement of antibacterial performance. Surface morphology has been studied in detail for each texture to ascertain the presence of hierarchical structures and determine the role of topography in reducing bacterial adhesion. Despite the absence of sub-micrometric features comparable with bacterial size, this work highlights the crucial role that nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation plays in promoting a thin layer of iron oxide that reduces E. coli adhesion through local repulsive electrostatic interactions

Molecular dynamics model for the antibactericity of textured surfaces

An original model has been developed for the initial stage of bacterial adhesion on textured surfaces. Based on molecular dynamics, the model describes contact between individual bacterial cells in a planktonic state and a surface, accounting for both the mechanical properties of the cells and the physico-chemical mechanisms governing interaction with the substrate. Feasibility of the model is assessed via comparison with experimental results of bacterial growth on stainless steel substrates textured with ultrashort laser pulses. Simulations are performed for two different bacterial species, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, on two distinct surface types characterised by elongated ripples and isolated nanopillars, respectively. Calculated results are in agreement with experiment outcomes and highlight the role of mechanical stresses within the cell wall due to deformation upon interaction with the substrate, creating unfavourable conditions for bacteria during the initial phases of adhesion. Furthermore, the flexibility of the model provides insight into the intricate interplay between topography and the physico-chemical properties of the substrate, pointing to a unified picture of the mechanisms underlying bacterial affinity to a textured surface

Potential of a multiparametric optical sensor for determining in situ the maturity components of red and white vitis vinifera wine grapes

A non-destructive fluorescence-based technique for evaluating Vitis vinifera L. grape maturity using a portable sensor (Multiplex ®) is presented. It provides indices of anthocyanins and chlorophyll in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese red grapes and of flavonols and chlorophyll in Vermentino white grapes. The good exponential relationship between the anthocyanin index and the actual anthocyanin content determined by wet chemistry was used to estimate grape anthocyanins from in field sensor data during ripening. Marked differences were found in the kinetics and the amount of anthocyanins between cultivars and between seasons. A sensor-driven mapping of the anthocyanin content in the grapes, expressed as g/kg fresh weight, was performed on a 7-ha vineyard planted with Sangiovese. In the Vermentino, the flavonol index was favorably correlated to the actual content of berry skin flavonols determined by means of HPLC analysis of skin extracts. It was used to make a non-destructive estimate of the evolution in the flavonol concentration in grape berry samplings. The chlorophyll index was inversely correlated in linear manner to the total soluble solids (°Brix): it could, therefore, be used as a new index of technological maturity. The fluorescence sensor (Multiplex) possesses a high potential for representing an important innovative tool for controlling grape maturity in precision viticulture

Cardiovascular diseas: an economical perspective

Cardiovascular diseases represent a relevant problem worldwide. Data from World Health Organization (W.H.O.) demonstrate that they are one of the principle causes of death: 30% of all losses of human life throughout the world are due to heart diseases. Such data buries a substantial economic cost considering both the direct component, first of all the national health expense, and the indirect part, such as absenteeism rate, productivity loss, quality of life and, more generally, social costs. The future scenario pictured by the W.H.O. reveals a negative trend due to an increasing in the rate of morbidity and mortality especially in Emerging Countries. One of the solution to stem the costs – economic and not – connected to cardiovascular diseases is to empower the prevention activities overall the actions of primary prevention. This require a change in the traditional patient-physician relationship management model to get to an organizational model centred on patient and based on a proactive approach. In this perspective in the paper will be analysed the principal changes that occurred in the Italian national healthcare system and in particular the strategic plans and actions in theme of cardiovascular prevention

Assetti di governo e creazione di valore nelle aziende familiari vitivinicole toscane.

SOMMARIO: 1.1. Introduzione. –1.2. Capitale sociale e creazione di valore nelle aziende familiari. – 1.3. Storia della famiglia e radicamento territoriale. – 1.4. Metodologia. – 1.5. Discussione

Social and moral accountability in action: the religious roots of corporate social responsibility in an Italian entrepreneurial family (1900–1950)

A company's most valuable asset is its employees. Since the 1970s, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been a topic of increasing interest in terms of performance and disclosure. However, little attention has been paid to the history of CSR practices, which should be studied within historical and cultural contexts. Based on archival material and secondary sources, and using arguments from moral economics and Catholic Social Theory, this study uniquely investigates the role of religious and ethical beliefs in influencing CSR actions and accountability. We focus on the case of Vaccari, an entrepreneurial Italian Catholic family in the early-twentieth century, which was clearly inspired by upward accountability (to God) and not just economic returns. The family took CSR actions to improve the welfare and living conditions of its workers (downward accountability). Vaccari's religious value system was strongly based on the principles of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) contained in the 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII, addressed to 'all men of good will'. Our historical analysis informs modern CSR practices, revealing that management's commitment to ethics and sound values is the correct starting point for developing good and sustainable business practices

Nuove prospettive di governance nell’azienda cooperativa: i Workers Buyout (WBO) in Italia

Nell’attuale contesto competitivo, caratterizzato da un’estrema turbolenza e da lunghi periodi di crisi economica, il modello cooperativo si è dimostrato essere maggiormente resiliente rispetto alle imprese private, in grado di dare risposte fattive ad aziende e tessuti produttivi in serie difficoltà. In continua crescita è, negli ultimi anni, il ricorso a strumenti e meccanismi di governance che consentono una conversione di aziende private in crisi in aziende di stampo cooperativo. Il presente lavoro tende ad approfondire alcuni aspetti che caratterizzano i sistemi di governance e modelli manageriali delle aziende cooperative, con riferimento a particolari forme di salvataggio delle stesse da parte dei lavoratori: i workers buyout (WBO)

IS to support project management: implications for managerial accounting

Information technology (IT) is used as a tool to reduce some of the problems generated by fragmentation typical of project management (PM). The use of IT improves coordination and collaboration leading to better communica-tion practices. Nowadays PM, due to the high level of complexity which char-acterize the context in which firms operate, requires a concrete information sys-tem and suitable managerial accounting. Such tools are basic to support project-managers in the decision making process and aiding performance evaluation. The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between PM, information systems and managerial accounting from a theoretical and pragmatic perspective. An input-output model will be used to clarify and analyze the correlation between managerial activities and firm performance. The managerial implications of a set of methods and techniques suitable to manage a project in its different aspects and phases will be emphasized