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Alessandro N Tirapani
  • Place du Luxembourg, 6. B-1050, Brussels
This work aims at providing a theoretical framework to make sense of the systematic and automatic expulsion from mainstream organizational discourses of radical politics. To capture the above I int...
This moderated panel symposium brings together Paul Adler, Renate Meyer and Andreas Scherer as scholars with backgrounds in CMS, SIM, and OMT respectively, to discuss the broader phenomena of ‘priv...
This report sets out to analyse the emergence and distinctive impact of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development (CSR/SD) functions and professionals within organizations. By evaluating the literature on this topic, it... more
This report sets out to analyse the emergence and distinctive impact of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development (CSR/SD) functions and professionals within organizations. By evaluating the literature on this topic, it seeks to clarify how leveraging the already established CSR/SD functions and professionals across organizations can contribute to the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) objective of achieving a future of work that provides decent and sustainable work opportunities for all.
It is time that Europe took another look at entrepreneurs, as it did between the First Industrial Revolution and the Second World War, and enabled them to help solve our problems and to make our society better. When it comes to... more
It is time that Europe took another look at entrepreneurs, as it did between the First Industrial Revolution and the Second World War, and enabled them to help solve our problems and to make our society better. When it comes to entrepreneurship, however, the problem with Europe is not only the lack of early-stage entrepreneurs, but also the lack of growth among start-up companies. In the quest for new ways to tackle the big issues, entrepreneurship-friendly policies are an almost-zero-cost path that may reinvigorate the stagnant economic system without increasing deficits. ThinkYoung highlights three main problems with tackling youth unemployment through higher rates of entrepreneurship: the lack of entrepreneurship education, the imperfect and incomplete single market, and the stigma of failure. We are in the midst of the Third Industrial Revolution: Europe can decide to embrace it, be open and focus on its competitive advantage in order to provide a future for its youth, or it can decide to do nothing and be left behind.
What is the role of conflict in bringing about radical change? Taking the case of the gig economy, we study the conditions of possibility for fairer alternative ways of organising to emerge. Currently, some commentators underscore the... more
What is the role of conflict in bringing about radical change? Taking the case of the gig economy, we study the conditions of possibility for fairer alternative ways of organising to emerge. Currently, some commentators underscore the sense of freedom of working as a selfemployed contractor; others focus on its negative and exploitative dimensions. Less attention has been given to the potential emergence of (radical) conflicts around the nature of gig work. Thus, we contribute to the study of conflict in organisation theory by appreciating two different yet interrelated phenomena. First, how neoliberal gig work mobilises positive fantasies of individualised economic prosperity and independence, leading to reformist responses to contractual disputes. Second, how the dark side of gig work can trigger radical conflicts, which reject the assumptions underpinning the "self-employed contractors" business model. We argue that the potential for radical labour revolts is buffered by neoliberal individualisation and hegemonic ideologyarticulated in the phenomenon that we term "econormativity". Yet, as the latter offers no resolution to structural grievances, conflict continues to simmer in the background. The paper aims to advance, principally from an organisation studies perspective, our understanding of conflict and its role in unleashing radical alternatives.
It is time that Europe took another look at entrepreneurs, as it did between the First Industrial Revolution and the Second World War, and enabled them to help solve our problems and to make our society better. When it comes to... more
It is time that Europe took another look at entrepreneurs, as it did
between the First Industrial Revolution and the Second World War, and enabled them to help solve our problems and to make our society better. When it comes to entrepreneurship, however, the problem with Europe is not only the lack of early-stage entrepreneurs, but also the lack of growth among start-up companies. In the quest for new ways to tackle the big issues, entrepreneurship-friendly policies are an almost-zero-cost path that may reinvigorate the stagnant economic system without increasing deficits. ThinkYoung highlights three main problems with tackling youth unemployment through higher rates of entrepreneurship: the lack of entrepreneurship education, the imperfect and incomplete single market, and the stigma of failure.
European public opinions rarely report or debate over the votes of the European Parliament. But when this institution has been called to ratify the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a vast opposition raised, and... more
European public opinions rarely report or debate over the votes of the European Parliament. But
when this institution has been called to ratify the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade
Agreement (ACTA), a vast opposition raised, and suddenly the Parliament could play a relevant
political role at international level.
The EP has eventually voted against it, cheering the expectation of many who have openly criticize it
for the limits who may have posed to civil liberties. Inside the EP, the EPP represents an interesting
case study, as it has shifted from an initial warm pro-ACTA approach to a final fragmented vote.
Breaking down the votes from EPP members at country level, it appears that MEPs form countries
which have faced stronger internal opposition to ACTA, are more willing to vote against it.
I valori fondamentali americani hanno conosciuto diverse sfide durante il Novecento, sfide che hanno alimentato il dibattito tra conservatorismo e liberalismo. Al centro di questo dibattito si è avvicendato il ruolo della famiglia... more
I valori fondamentali americani hanno conosciuto diverse sfide durante il Novecento, sfide che hanno alimentato il dibattito tra conservatorismo e liberalismo. Al centro di questo dibattito si è avvicendato il ruolo della famiglia ‘tradizionale’, della donna, della libertà individuale e della libertà religiosa. Come europei la nostra comprensione del dibattito americano è sempre parziale; cionondimeno, assistendo alla mutazione della percezione dei diritti degli omosessuali dalla prima sentenza del 2003 in Texas (che poneva fine al reato di sodomia) al regime diffusamente pro matrimonio omosessuale soli undici anni dopo, non ci si può non interrogare su quali profondi mutamenti ed innovative sfide il conservatorismo americano debba affrontare. In questo paper il mio scopo è evidenziare come la fine della relazione biunivoca tra ‘donna’ e ‘famiglia’, la tendenza a celebrare il successo individuale esplosa negli anni Ottanta assieme alla finanziarizzazione dell’economia, e le forze multiculturali incarnate dal doppio mandato elettorale di Obama, abbiamo reso insostenibile ed obsoleta la legislazione contraria al matrimonio omosessuale. Infine, gli Stati Uniti si trovano allineati con l’Europa nella peculiare situazione di essere in contro tendenza in un mondo che crescentemente penalizza il matrimonio non etero-fondato o addirittura criminalizza, soprattutto in Africa sub-sahariana, gli omosessuali. In questo contesto di profondo mutamento, il partito repubblicano deve gestire la destra religiosa ed il Tea party, al fine di recuperare terreno rispetto ad un partito democratico progressista ed impegnato a riabilitare il termine liberal.
Viaggi del Ventaglio, an Italian tour operator, went from being a market leader to filing bankruptcy within few year. In this report I analyse the cause and the main issues that have lead to it.
Research Interests:
This thesis explores the phenomenon of uncertain, unstable, and insecure employment relations. With the explosion of the so-called gig economy, the issue of precariousness has (re)entered public and academic debate. However, it has a much... more
This thesis explores the phenomenon of uncertain, unstable, and insecure employment relations. With the explosion of the so-called gig economy, the issue of precariousness has (re)entered public and academic debate. However, it has a much older history and larger implications for organisations and societies. If these forms of work organisation are deemed problematic, how are they reproduced encountering limited overt conflict? To solve this puzzle, I study precariousness both as an epiphenomenon of neoliberalism (Chapter One) and as a self-standing object of inquiry (Chapters Two and Three). I do so from an organisations studies perspective in order to bridge our field with sociology and political theory, expanding our understanding of precariousness. This approach draws attention to the consequences of increasing overlap between the professional and private spheres along with alternative pathways that might address them. It also captures precariousness by acknowledging that it can be perceived both positively (as empowering and emancipating) and negatively (as exploitative and oppressive).
This thesis argues that the stakeholder is today a political figure without representation, following the shift of sovereignty from state monopoly to shared. In this scenario, on one hand private actors have become legitimate global... more
This thesis argues that the stakeholder is today a political figure without representation, following the shift of sovereignty from state monopoly to shared. In this scenario, on one hand private actors have become legitimate global players each time their decision-making process is based on economic principles, while on the other hand we have not witnessed the development of appropriate mechanisms answering the challenges faced by ‘classic’ representation. One of the main reasons, it is argued here, stems from the lack of contamination between political science and economics. This thesis proposes a brand-new political hypothesis, built mixing the concept of Global State with the literature on Corporate Social Responsibility, in order to expose the main categories that define the characteristics of the stakeholders on a political level. The aim is to contribute to the scientific debate with the purpose of expanding the current understanding on how private global actors create and manage political relations, and the dynamics underpinning them.
Entrepreneurship has been considered, since more than 150 years, the “raw material” needed by a capitalist system to develop and grow. The individual initiative, anyway, have encountered different settings and regulations, as the... more
Entrepreneurship has been considered, since more than 150 years, the “raw material” needed by a capitalist system to develop and grow. The individual initiative, anyway, have
encountered different settings and regulations, as the democratic systems developed a more and more complex web of legislations. Consequently, academic literature have been arguing
that lower bureaucracy leads to higher levels of entrepreneurship, which in turns causes
economic growth. Since the Regan-Thatcher revolution, public policies are expected to go more and more liberal: but, does countries with lower bureaucracy actually experience more individuals’ entrepreneurial activity? If yes, which policies are actually relevant? Posing these questions, in this thesis I gather global data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), comparing the Total Early-Stage Entrepreneurial Activity scores (TEA) with the ease
of doing business, the latter taken from the World Bank Doing Business Report (WBDB).
Using both 2010 and 2008-2010 TEA data for 31 countries, I find that entrepreneurship is more present in countries whose specific public policies are more efficient and less expensive; easier procedures to register a property, higher protection of investors, lower minimum capital requirement to start a business, lower total fiscal pressure and lower cost to close a business, are the main factors leading to higher entrepreneurial levels.