In the second issue of 2015, the Journal of International Studies of the scientific association, Arethuse as is by now a tradition, presents a comparison and discussion of international academic scholars on three scientific areas, Strategic Management, Economics and Statistics, and Public Finance.

The papers presented in this issue are those that the Scientific Committee has assessed as being particularly of merit. They relate to three areas, Strategic Management, Economics and Statistics, and Public Finance. These areas have not only been the subject of study of researchers who adhere to the international Association, Arethuse, but especially in recent years provide a useful opportunity for whoever operates in European countries (university researchers, spin-off, managers, entrepreneurs, local associations, public authorities, governmental and non- governmental financial institutions etc.) to enrich their knowledge. In this year with the Expo taking place in Italy, the issues concerning the quality and development of the people and territory have led to scientific fields of study and discussions that are of particular global relevance. The Universal Exposition of Milan places special emphasis on sustainable development and the new sense of globalization of economic and social phenomena. A great deal of research, the results of which are presented in this issue, provide useful contributions. They highlight the metrics to be used to promote the development of the territory; they study the impact of information technology in the tourism sector; they present studies on the most appropriate reconfiguration of relationships with retailers and the reconfiguration of supply chains; finally, special attention is paid to the redesign of management techniques and of inter- enterprise relations, in order to facilitate the growth of SMEs and the environment in which they are rooted.

In the first issue many very interesting research papers have been submitted from qualified international Scholars. We propose an overview about the main research- streams that have been chosen by the Authors. This mapping process provides the opportunity to check the guidelines for the study of economic and managerial phenomena that international scholars have followed for thirty years in the international associations that deal with economics and management, called ARETHUSE.

In an ever-changing economy, market specialists strive to find new ways to evaluate the risks and potential reward of economic ventures. They start by assessing the importance of human reaction during the economic planning process and put together systems to measure financial markets and their longevity. Fractal Approaches for Modeling Financial Assets and Predicting Crises is a critical scholarly resource that examines the fractal structure and long-term memory of the financial markets in order to predict prices of financial assets and financial crises. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics, such as computational process models, chaos theory, and game theory, this book is geared towards academicians, researchers, and students seeking current research on pricing and predicting financial crises.

Many people are drawn towards virtue ethics because of the central place it gives to emotions in the good life. Yet it may seem odd to evaluate emotions as virtuous or non-virtuous, for how can we be held responsible for those powerful feelings that simply engulf us? And how can education help us to manage our emotional lives? The aim of this book is to offer readers a new Aristotelian analysis and moral justification of a number of emotions that Aristotle did not mention (awe, grief, and jealousy), or relegated, at best, to the level of the semi-virtuous (shame), or made disparaging remarks about (gratitude), or rejected explicitly (pity, understood as pain at another person's deserved bad fortune). Kristján Kristjánsson argues that there are good Aristotelian reasons for understanding those emotions either as virtuous or as indirectly conducive to virtue. Virtuous Emotions begins with an overview of Aristotle's ideas on the nature of emotions and of emotional value, and concludes with an account of Aristotelian emotion education.

In Avar-Age Polearms and Edged Weapons, Gergely Csiky offers a presentation of close combat weapons of a nomadic population that migrated from Inner Asia to East-Central Europe. During the late 6th – early 7th centuries, the Avars led successful military campaigns against the Balkan realms of the Byzantine Empire, facilitated by their cavalry’s use of stirrups for the first time in Europe. Besides the classification, manufacturing techniques, fittings, suspension, distribution, and chronology of polearms and edged weapons known from Avar-age burials, a special emphasis is laid on the origins and cultural contacts of these weapons, among them the first edged weapons with curved blades: the sabres. The social significance and, function of these artefacts is discussed in order to place them in nomadic warfare.

This book contains translations of three plays:Ajax, Hecuba, and Trojan Women. They are all centered around the mythological theme of the Greek warrior, Odysseus, hero of the Trojan War. All three plays are complete, with notes and introductions, plus an introduction to the volume with background to the story which was one of the most popular themes and one of the most written about Greek hero in Greek literature. Written during a tumultuous age of sophists and demagogues, these three plays (c. 450-425 BCE) bear witness to the gradual degradation of Odysseus’ character. In presenting the unexpected devolution of a renowned mythic figure, the plays examine numerous themes relevant to contemporary American political life: the profound psychological consequences of brought on by the stress of war and why a once proud and noble warrior might commit suicide; and the dehumanizing darkness that descends upon innocent female war-victims when victors use act on false political necessity.

This tale follows fictitious characters as they journey in search of wisdom and the fulfillment of their objectives. Set mainly in the fascinating university town of Leuven, Belgium, it revolves around the personal, social, political and academic aspirations of visiting scholars in the town. Richard Gutierrez from the USA needs to get tenure at his university. Jennifer Sydney from England is determined to advance her career. Aisling O’Shea and her six-year old son Philip from Ireland have different expectations of their trip. Piotr Malachowski wants to understand a life rooted in the bitter experiences of the internment camp of Majdanek in Poland. The nationalistic Fr Miguel Fuentes from the Philippines wonders what he can learn from a Western university to deal with the challenges in his country. What starts out as an academic sojourn for these individuals becomes a life-changing experience as their paths cross in Leuven and they learn about each other and themselves and about life itself.

The task of design is to integrate functional requirements, contextual conditions and technological means into the creation of a work of architectural culture. After twenty years of practice, a team involving Ignacio Dahl Rocha, Kenneth Ross, Christian Leibbrand, Manuela Toscan and others of the Lausanne-based Swiss office of Richter ∙ Dahl Rocha & Associés has undertaken to formulate the knowledge behind their architectural practice in a comprehensive manual. Covering the full span from initial design, building typology, technology to the cooperation with other professions in four extensive sections, this book conveys the concepts, methods and details that constitute the tools of state-of-the-art architectural projects. The material used is completely first-hand, with the technical drawings redrawn to this purpose, coming from projects like the much-acclaimed integral renovation of Nestlé Headquarters, from residential, office and healthcare buildings to the groundbreaking Swiss Tech Convention Center on the Lausanne Polytechnic Campus. Written with the editorial collaboration of Denise Bratton, this book sets new standards for architectural publications as tools for design.

This book investigates how people encounter, experience and shape their careers. Both the concept and the reality of a career is changing as organisations respond to globalisation and market forces. This impact is reflected in the internal labour market and hence career journeys of individuals. How people think about their career and career choices is more diverse than ever before due not only to environmental transformations but also to variations in the workforce, consisting now of five generations. With each new generation, there is little argument that contemplating career choices, seeking and promoting work opportunities as well as hiring relationships are now markedly different and less certain than previously. People have now and increasingly a greater choice over when, where, how to work and for how long. This book will provide learning for those people early in their careers as well as those in mid to later career, looking to develop or enrich their careers in some way. Understanding how work functions in people’s lives; the personal and family costs incurred in maintaining and exiting a career, and how and why remaining or leaving a career is successful or not, is highly relevant. The need for career support, derived from personal, professional and organisational connections plays an important role in career choice, career transition, and career opportunities. Creativity and other 21st century skills, the vital dimensions of career development, is also discussed in this book.