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The choice of master international franchising – A modified transaction cost model
No full textThis study develops and tests a novel transaction cost model of master international franchising. Based on data from international franchise firms headquartered in six countries, we show that master international franchising is the franchisor’s preferred governance mode under the following conditions: large bilateral franchisor’s and franchisees’ transaction-specific investments, high institutional uncertainty and high behavioral uncertainty. Our model extends the literature by presenting a modified transaction cost model of master international franchising that investigates the bonding effect of bilateral transaction-specific investments and environmental uncertainty as determinants of the franchisor’s choice of international governance mode. In addition, by using primary data from international franchise companies, our study contributes to the transaction cost literature in international business and international franchising that is mainly based on secondary data
Jannis Kounellis & Theatre: Through Space and Time
No full textMaster of Arts in Art History -- John Cabot University, Spring 2022.This thesis focuses on a neglected aspect of Kounellis’ work: the relationship between his artistic practice and theatre between the 1960s and the 1990s. After reconstructing Jannis Kounellis’ scenographical work for New Italian Theatre in the late 1960s, and his life-long collaboration with a theatre director Carlo Quadrucci, this research critically situates his practice within the contemporary theatre’s engagement with space as well as the phenomenology of the body. The artist’s interest in the form and temporality of the image, and of action, and the way his self-declared lifelong interest in theater and theatricality affected his own Arte Povera practice, revolutionized the use of non-traditional materials and modes of viewer engagement. This thesis aims not only to shed light on an unstudied dimension of Kounellis’ work, his productions as a scenographer, but also to consider the ways in which this life-long engagement might reframe contemporary art history’s understanding of the artist through the analysis of Kounellis’ work with grand-scale installations in the 1990s
At the Heart of Change: Differences in Young Offenders’ HRV Patterns after the Delivery of the PSYCHOPATHY.COMP Program
No full textIntroduction: Literature has pointed the need for intervention programs specifically tailored to target the treatment needs of young offenders, as well as the need to test the efficacy of such programs through physiological indexes of emotion regulation (e.g., heart rate variability; HRV), complementing self-reports typically used as outcome measures. The PSYCHOPATHY.COMP is a 20-session individual intervention program based on Compassion Focused Therapy aiming to reduce psychopathic traits and disruptive behavior among young offenders through the development of a compassionate motivation, while stimulating the soothing system as a strategy to improve emotion regulation. Previous research with young offenders has shown decreases in vagally mediated HRV (vmHRV) when the soothing system is activated. This physiological pattern seems to mirror threat-like responses that contrast with relaxed states.
Methods: To test the efficacy of the PSYCHOPATHY.COMP, a clinical trial was implemented encompassing a treatment (n = 56) and a control group (n = 53). Treatment participants attended the PSYCHOPATHY.COMP, while controls received the Treatment As Usual (TAU) delivered in Portuguese juvenile detention facilities. HRV data was collected throughout a standardized procedure (encompassing resting, reactivity and recovery phases) specifically designed to trigger the soothing system. Participants were assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment and 6-months follow-up.
Results: Although treatment participants continued to process the soothing system as unpleasant (with decreased vmHRV), they seem to become able to adaptively recover from the stimuli without avoiding it or resorting to maladaptive coping strategies. The physiological pattern was in line with participants’ decreases in difficulties in emotion regulation across the assessment periods. In contrast, controls seemed to have actively employed coping strategies associated with increases in vmHRV not only when the soothing system was triggered, but also when recovering from the stimuli. Congruently, for controls, increases in difficulties in emotion regulation were found, with increases in the lack of emotional clarity across the assessment periods.
Discussion: Findings offer new evidence for the efficacy of the PSYCHOPATHY.COMP program in improving emotion regulation in young offenders, assessed through both self-report and physiological measures. Additionally, findings support the assessment of the autonomic balance as a treatment efficacy index in future research, targeting the rehabilitation of these youth
Sant’Agnese fuori le mura: Image, Text, and Gender in the 7th Century Apse Mosaic
No full textMaster of Arts in Art History -- John Cabot University, Spring 2022.On the Via Nomentana, outside the city walls, stands the 7th basilica of S. Agnese fuori le mura. Described as being “decorated to perfection” by the Liber Pontificalis, the church was built sometime during the papacy of Honorius I (625-638) and boasts the only extant medieval apse mosaic in Rome with a female martyr at the center. The image and life of Agnes in the city has a long and interesting history. Visual representations spanning from Late Antiquity to the Late Middle Ages shed a light on the development of medieval martyrological iconography in Rome and thereby also on the cult of saints. The late antique literary tradition on Agnes is equally rich, with authors such Ambrose and Prudentius providing the basis for her saintly profile throughout the Middle Ages and beyond. Both texts and images also present us with insights regarding late antique and medieval ideas regarding the female body, gender, and sexuality. The 7th century apse itself, created at a period of reinvention and transition, underscores the presence and perceived importance of a distinctly female saint in the sacred topography of Rome. This thesis will explore the architectural, visual, textual, and social context of this unique representation of Agnes in the apse mosaic. The earlier visual and written tradition of Agnes in the city, along with a consideration of the cult of martyrs, will shape the understanding of her representation as gendered construct and, thereby hopefully, also allow for a more nuanced understanding of the apse mosaic in its 7th century context
Trump’s Inauguration Speech and the Events of January 6 2021: A study of populist policies and populist communication
No full textThesis (B.A. in Art History)--John Cabot University, Fall 2022.The 2016 presidential election saw the rise of populism in the United States of America. This work focuses on Trump’s inauguration speech on January 20, 2017, and the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. My research compares the beginning of Trump presidency with the end of his mandate. It seeks to answer the questions of how these two events relate one to each other, through the analysis of his communication style and the policies he applied during his presidency.
The first chapter analyzes the speech: words, pronouns and the sentence structure repetition. It is also analyzed his policies and how they make him a populist leader.
The second chapter looks at the Capitol attack, showing the way his communication in the speech and on Tweets incite a violent riot. It shows how both the House and Congress state that January 6 was a deliberate attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election and block the transfer of presidential power.
This topic is relevant to continue looking at because, even though Trump lost in 2020, he recently announced his candidacy for the 2024 elections.
The results suggest that both his communication style used in the inauguration speech and the speech plus tweets used on January 6 and and policies make him a populist leader, putting in danger American democracy
Ed Ruscha’s Deadpan Mise-en-Scène
No full textThesis (B.A. in Art History, Minor in Communications)--John Cabot University, Fall 2022.Ed Ruscha’s artworks have often been discussed in relation to both cinema and deadpan aesthetics. While both issues have been extensively researched separately, they were not discussed concerning one another within Ruscha’s art practice, especially his oil paintings. What is more, even though the impact of cinema on Ruscha’s paintings and photographs has been extensively analyzed, his artworks have never been viewed through film theory itself. By focusing on Large Trademarks with Eight Spotlights (1962) as a case study, this thesis engages with the cinema, both Old Hollywood and experimental, film theory, and deadpan aesthetics in order to show the uniqueness of Ruscha’s use of deadpan aesthetic through the visual devices of cinema
Britain and BrExit: Is the UK more attractive tosupervisors? An analysis of the wage premiumto supervision across the EU
No full textWe studied which European Union (EU) economy was more attractive prior to Brexit for employees in supervisory positions. We estimate the extra wage that supervisors earn relative to their subordinates—the wage premium to supervision (WPS)—at different quantiles of distribution of wages for 26 European economies. We find that the UK rewards supervisors more than other EU economies. Moreover, the WPS increases with wage and so increases wage inequality. Over 10% of the WPS depends on the national economic context. We discuss the implications for immigration and policymakers in relation to the post-Brexit process
Antecedents of labor shortage in the rural hospitality industry: a comparative study of employees and employers
No full textPurpose
Although the role of human capital in the hospitality sector is critical, the industry faces challenges in attracting workers with a poor industry image frequently mentioned regarding labor shortages. This research paper attempts to investigate the factors influencing labor shortages by presenting the perspectives of employees and employers.
Design/methodology/approach
Precisely 232 rural hospitality industry employees (n = 128) and employers (n = 104) in Northern Italy were surveyed using a written close-ended online survey and a quantitative research design as part of a convenience sampling approach. For hypotheses testing, Spearman's rho was used.
Findings
A relationship between the shortage of professional workers and a variety of factors was found, including professional, digital, social and green skills, industry-intrinsic characteristics and symbolic image attributes of the industry. The findings show that some factors are more important for employees, while others are more significant for employers.
Practical implications
This study demonstrates several practical implications for the hospitality sector by addressing the under-researched stakeholder group of existing hospitality employees, e.g. improving working conditions, reduction of manual operations through digital technologies, realistic career planning, employer branding, identification of skill deficiencies and provision of specialized trainings.
Originality/value
Most research on labor shortages in the hospitality industry has focused on the perspective of either employees or employers. This study compares both perspectives, including the industry image, to gain a realistic picture of the relevant factors for a rural tourism destination in Northern Italy
Safe in my heart: resting heart rate variability longitudinally predicts emotion regulation, worry, and sense of safeness during COVID-19 lockdown
No full textResting heart rate variability (HRV), a surrogate index of cardiac vagal modulation, is considered a putative biomarker of stress resilience as it reflects the ability to effectively regulate emotions in a changing environment. However, most studies are cross-sectional, precluding longitudinal inferences. The high degree of uncertainty and fear at a global level that characterizes the COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity to explore the utility of HRV measures as longitudinal predictors of stress resilience. This study examined whether resting measures of HRV prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (i.e. nearly 2 years before; Time 0) could predict emotion regulation strategies and daily affect in healthy adults during the May 2020 lockdown (Time 1). Moreover, we evaluated the association between HRV measures, emotion regulation strategies, subjective perception of COVID-19 risk, and self-reported depressive symptoms at Time 1. Higher resting HRV at Time 0 predicted a stronger engagement in more functional emotion regulation strategies, as well as of higher daily feelings of safeness and reduced daily worry at Time 1. Moreover, depressive symptoms negatively correlated with HRV and positively correlated with the subjective perception of COVID-19 risk at Time 1. Current data support the view that HRV might not only be a marker but also a precursor of resilience under stressful times