Open Access Books

Human Resource Management - An Update deals with the major theoretical and practical issues of managing people in different kinds of businesses in different countries around the world. Chapters address such topics as theoretical bases for human resource management in the new work age, performance management and organizational management, leadership and job analysis, diversity, work–life balance, and sexual harassment, among others.

This open access book demonstrates the application of simulation modelling and network analysis techniques in the field of Roman studies. It summarizes and discusses the results of a 5-year research project carried out by the editors that aimed to apply spatial dynamical modelling to reconstruct and understand the socio-economic development of the Dutch part of the Roman frontier (limes) zone, in particular the agrarian economy and the related development of settlement patterns and transport networks in the area. The project papers are accompanied by invited chapters presenting case studies and reflections from other parts of the Roman Empire focusing on the themes of subsistence economy, demography, transport and mobility, and socio-economic networks in the Roman period. The book shows the added value of state-of-the-art computer modelling techniques and bridges computational and conventional approaches. Topics that will be of particular interest to archaeologists are the question of (forced) surplus production, the demographic and economic effects of the Roman occupation on the local population, and the structuring of transport networks and settlement patterns. For modellers, issues of sensitivity analysis and validation of modelling results are specifically addressed. This book will appeal to students and researchers working in the computational humanities and social sciences, in particular, archaeology and ancient history.

Moyamoya disease is a rare cerebrovascular disease most prevalent in East Asian countries. Thanks to new diagnostic capabilities, the number of cases discovered, including asymptomatic patients, has been increasing steadily. However, asymptomatic from the clinical point of view does not necessarily mean that there are no subjacent problems. Indeed, many patients harbour cognitive decline long before they exhibit clinical or radiological manifestations. The only effective treatment is surgical revascularization, either direct, indirect, or combined. Many posit that preventive surgical treatment should be considered even in asymptomatic moyamoya patients, particularly in the paediatric age group. This book expands on these ideas and examines the various aspects of this dreadful disease.

I saggi raccolti in questo volume derivano dalle relazioni presentate dagli autori al convegno Atlante Del Giudice, svoltosi il 20 giugno 2025 presso l’Università degli Studi di Milano. Il convegno è stato la prima iniziativa del gruppo di ricerca Manovre di volo, costituito nell’ottobre del 2024 presso la stessa Università di Milano con l’intento di promuovere lo studio dell’opera di Daniele Del Giudice, e si inserisce, con questi atti, in un clima di rinnovata attenzione della comunità scientifica per l’autore dello Stadio di Wimbledon. Del Giudice non è certo una figura da scoprire, ma alcune regioni della sua produzione sono ancora largamente da esplorare. Gli interventi critici degli ultimi anni hanno intrapreso questa esplorazione e i saggi compresi in questo volume vorrebbero offrire un ulteriore contributo in questo senso. Soffermandosi sullo Stadio di Wimbledon, su Atlante occidentale, sulla narrativa breve, sulla saggistica e infine sull’archivio di Del Giudice, ma sempre pensando al complesso della sua opera, essi ne propongono letture diverse, convergendo però nel riconoscere nella sua scrittura una costante interrogazione della capacità della letteratura di rappresentare e quindi conoscere la realtà.

The Past in the Present deals with the complexities in the operation and management of living heritage sites. It presents a new interpretation of such sites based on the concept of continuity, and its evolution to the present. It is demonstrated that the current theoretical framework and practice of conservation, as best epitomised in a values-based approach and the World Heritage concept, is based on discontinuity created between the monuments (considered to belong to the past) and the people of the present, thus seemingly unable to embrace living heritage sites. From this position, the study suggests an innovative approach that views communities and sites as an inseparable entity: a Living Heritage Approach. This approach brings a new insight into key concepts such as authenticity and sustainable development. Through the use of the monastic site of Meteora, Greece, as a case study, the discussion generated aims to shift the focus of conservation from ‘preservation’ towards a continual process of ‘creation’ in an ongoing present, attempting to change the way heritage is perceived, protected and, more importantly, further created. “The Past in the Present is an important and much-needed contribution to the debate about living heritage – and it is particularly significant in the context of the heritage of the past in the modern world. Anyone concerned with how the past is, or should be, integrated within modern lives and identities will need to read this book.” – Leslie Brubaker, Director, Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies, University of Birmingham, UK. “This interesting and thoroughly researched book by Ioannis Poulios is a useful tool in promoting the Living Heritage Approach, and provides a sound theoretical basis for future work. Living Heritage Approach is a paradigm shift that suggests a new way of addressing conservation for our heritage. ICCROM is proud to have introduced this approach, also with the contribution of Ioannis.” – Gamini Wijesuriya, Project Manager, ICCROM. (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/bak)

This open access book examines whether a distinctly Nordic procedural or court culture exists and what the hallmarks of that culture are. Do Nordic courts and court proceedings share a distinct set of ideas and values that in combination constitute the core of a regional legal culture? How do Europeanisation, privatisation, diversification and digitisation influence courts and court proceedings in the Nordic countries? The book traces the genesis and formation of Nordic courts and justice systems to provide a richer comprehension of contemporary Nordic legal culture, and an understanding of the relationship between legal cultural stability and change. In answering these questions, the book provides models for conceptualising procedural culture. Nordic procedural culture has partly developed organically and is partly also the product of deliberate efforts to maintain a certain level of alignment between the Nordic countries. Studying Nordic cooperation enables us to gain a deeper understanding of current regional, European and global harmonisation processes within procedural law. The influx of supranational European law, increased use of alternative dispute resolution and growth in regulation density that produces a conflict between specialisation and coherence, have tangible impact on the role of courts in a democratic society, the form of court proceedings and court structures. This book examines whether and why some trends exert more tangible, or perhaps simply more perceptible, influence on procedural culture than others.

Le travail social est un domaine de recherche relativement récent (années 60) qui produit des recherches fondamentales tournées vers l’application. A la Haute école de travail social de Genève, les recherches se concentrent actuellement autour de trois axes: la citoyenneté; les nouveaux modes de régulations étatiques et associatifs ainsi que les pratiques professionnelles et modes d’intervention en travail social. Après 50 ans d’existence, le Centre de recherche sociale (CERES) de la HETS-Genève interroge ses pratiques. Quels types de politiques de recherche est développée? Comment les problèmes sociaux sont-ils abordés pour en faire des problématiques de recherche? Comment les données et analyses sont-elles transmises? S’agit-il d’ailleurs d’une transmission passive ou, au contraire, de co-réflexion ou co-production de recherches, menées, non seulement avec les partenaires de terrain, mais aussi avec les étudiant-e-s suivant les enseignements?

In this book, conceived as a sort of Prolegomena to his two Teubner editions, Conte gives account of his choices in editing his Virgilian text. Engaging in a passionate debate with his predecessors and critics, he guides the reader in a fascinating journey in the history of transmission and interpretation of Georgics and Aeneid and shows how lively textual criticism can be.

World Green Building Council suggests that health, well-being and productivity should be the next chapter for green building. There is an obvious shift of green building movement from technology-centric towards human-centric, which culminates in recent WELL Building Standard, focusing exclusively on human health and wellness. This special issue aims to push forward the research, discourse and practice of green building towards more human-oriented design solutions. Particularly, this special issue collects papers on: Post-occupancy evaluation of green buildings Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Thermal Comfort and Adaptive Behaviors Quality of Life and Housing Healthcare Design

Im Laufe der letzten Jahre werden vor dem Hintergrund der anhaltenden und weiterhin ansteigenden hohen Arbeitslosigkeit arbeitsmarkt- und beschäftigungspolitische Instrumente diskutiert, die nicht - wie meist üblich - an der Arbeitsmenge, sondern am Preis für Arbeit ansetzen. Zu diesen Instrumenten gehören die negative Einkommensteuer und Lohnsubventionen. Ziel und Inhalt des Bandes ist die Effizienzanalyse der beiden Instrumente im Rahmen der modernen Arbeitsmarkttheorien und der Neuen Institutionenökonomik. Innerhalb dieser theoretischen Konzepte erweisen sich beide Instrumente als effizienzsteigernde, d.h. beschäftigungsfördernde Maßnahmen, wobei der negativen Einkommensteuer eine höhere Wirksamkeit als den Lohnsubventionen zugebilligt werden kann.

Este livro trata da obra de dois escritores: o espanhol José de Espronceda y Delgado (1808-1842) e o brasileiro Manuel Antônio Álvares de Azevedo (1831-1852), ambos considerados expoentes de uma corrente noturna do Romantismo. A análise comparativa mostra o apreço que nutriram por obras, temas, arquétipos e outros elementos comuns em voga no romantismo europeu. Personagens que retomam o arquétipo do herói byroniano e sua problemática psique, a vaidade fáustica, a sedução donjuanesca, a bela e a fera habitando o mesmo ser, a loucura, o amor, a morte e uma profusão de imagens que simbolizam a complexa teia de sentimentos díspares, ambíguos e violentos que emergem do inconsciente. A forma com que cada escritor relê esses elementos deixa entrever motivações de cunho estético e/ou político e acabam produzindo obras que remetem, por meio de um sistema simbólico transnacional, uma revisão das polêmicas locais. O florescimento do espírito revolucionário romântico impulsionou a leitura e a releitura de velhos mitos renascentistas para fazê-los ressurgir sob uma nova roupagem.

The 1970s was a decisive decade in monetary history as the switch to floating exchange rates made central bankers weighty actors in economic policymaking. This paper will show that this rise in power was not pronounced by decree in the Swiss case. Politicians eyed the Swiss National Bank’s growing influence critically, some flirting with installing fiscal dominance. However, faced with widespread sympathy for central bank autonomy among the business community, political attacks on the SNB were not organised. In addition, many felt that the legal status quo of close cooperation between the Federal Council and the SNB Governing Board would keep decision-making within the reach of elected politicians. In an increasingly complex world of finance, the SNB established a position of expertise vis-à-vis the government and became the dominant force in monetary policymaking. This outcome was not driven by political choice but by structural conditions.We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Vahabzadeh Foundation for financially supporting the publication of best works by young researchers of the Graduate Institute, giving a priority to those who have been awarded academic prizes for their master’s dissertations.

The increasing radicalization of political life in most countries in Europe lends special relevance to studies of the antifascist legacies on the continent. This insightful collection of essays is an in-depth review of antifascism in Slovenia, setting it in the context of related movements elsewhere in Europe. The period treated by the 19 essays comprises the interwar period, World War Two, and the post-war decades. The comparative and transnational perspectives advanced by the volume change our understanding of antifascism. The essays deal with the right-wing but also left-wing instrumentalization of antifascism, with a particular focus on the communist and post-communist periods. The authors point out that antifascism comes in various strains, whether inspired by liberalism, social democracy, communism, monarchism, anarchism, or even Christian conservatism. The contributors bring to light several overlooked antifascist actors, campaigns, and organisations, mostly in Slovenia and the Adriatic area.

W monografii zostały zaprezentowane najnowsze i w dużej mierze autorskie osiągnięcia z zakresu teorii asymptotycznych stochastycznych modeli ekonometrii przestrzennej. Rezultaty pracy naukowej autorów zostały poprzedzone przeglądem klasycznych, choć przedstawionych w nowoczesnym ujęciu, zagadnień ekonometrii przestrzennej. Ważnym elementem omawianej teorii jest nowe Centralne Twierdzenie Graniczne dla form liniowo-kwadratowych .Pozwala ono na przeprowadzanie formalnych dowodów własności granicznych statystyk testowych autokorelacji przestrzennej oraz estymatorów parametrów modeli ekonometrycznych z zależnościami przestrzennymi.

Small States in EU Policy-Making analyses how small states try to impact European Union policy-making through a range of strategies. With the last rounds of enlargement and Brexit, the number and weight of small states in the European Union have steadily increased. At the same time, small states face distinct challenges in different institutions, which may impact their strategies. Nonetheless, the existing literature primarily focuses on the Council of the European Union and the European Council and offers few insights into how small states navigate the other institutions. The contributions to this volume examine how small states can wield influence in different institutions, arguing that they do indeed pursue different strategies depending on institutional context. The policy case studies on the EU’s foreign and security policies confirm these findings: small states can have influence in EU policy-making and can create situations where their needs are met. They are most likely to succeed when they build foreign policy coalitions, when they anticipate major economic developments and when they manage to acquire a high level of expertise in a policy area. However, the case studies also show that there is a risk of small states becoming policy-takers in cases where they cannot provide leadership in terms of ideas and expertise and/or fail to build political weight through coalitions. This book will be of interest to academics and practitioners of European politics and the EU in particular, as well as policy-makers and practitioners working on small states. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.