DEMM

Climate change constitutes one of the major challenges of our time. The United States, in particular, represent one of the main greenhouse gas emitters in the world. Under the Obama administration, the US promoted a plan to reduce carbon pollution and incentivise clean energy. A constant stream of information on the impacts of climate change was disseminated online. By contrast, President Trump’s election has been linked to a tendency to discredit scientific knowledge. Pursuing an “America first energy plan”, Trump aims at rescinding environmental regulations he considers an impediment to business. The present study analyses a corpus of environmental information about global warming and energy policies published on official governmental websites, comparing the data and reports produced during Obama’s office with the most recent communications which reflect the priorities of Trump’s administration. Applying Corpus-Assisted Critical Discourse Analysis, the study investigates how scien...

The present work considers the impact of Brexit on the international banking sector. Brexit has the potential to compromise London’s leadership among the global financial centres and to trigger panic and financial instability. In times of uncertainty, banks should thus make careful use of language to reassure their customers. This study explores how some of the largest European banks, namely BNP Paribas, Santander, Deutsche Bank, and ING, reacted to Brexit in their online communications. Results are compared with Brexit information published online by the Big Four UK banks (HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, and RBS). The analysis focuses on how the banks represent and recontextualize the British withdrawal from the EU and attempt to preserve their financial stability. The investigation takes a critical discourse analytical approach, also integrating principles from crisis communication theories in management and the study of popularization. Corpus linguistic tools support the study to identify and compare discursive trends. The analysis reveals differences in the strategies chosen by banks to address their stakeholders. British banks generally aim at offering customer support, reassuring the markets, but also exploring new global trade possibilities. By comparison, EU banks tend to convey financial knowledge imbued with political evaluations and frame Brexit as a source of crisis and uncertainty.

The increased availability of the Internet and its growing interactivity have led to the emergence of new forms of civic engagement. In particular, e-petitions websites have brought into our time the centuries-old right to petition the rulers. The present study analyzes a corpus collecting a selection of online petitions against unnecessary plastic usage published on the British version of Change.org, one of the most popular e-petitioning platforms. The texts were examined by integrating discourse and genre analysis perspectives to uncover the recurring strategies exploited by petitioners to gain support for their environmental causes. The investigation revealed the way organisers appeal to the readers’ civic sense and sensitivity by emphasising the severity of damages of marine litter, reporting environmental information from multiple sources, raising awareness about legal loopholes and asking companies and institutions to lead by example.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports complement the information of financial accounts and enable stakeholders to estimate the intangible value drivers and sustainability-related achievements of a company. The genre is characterised by high hybridity, combining informational with promotional elements and contributes to the rhetorical construction of an ethical corporate identity, shaping the communicated corporate image. CSR reports tend to be a display of successful systems and positive performance, while problematic issues are often relativised and even exploited to reaffirm the company’s ability to overcome them. Disasters directly impact a company and its stakeholders, potentially causing business disruption and resulting in high costs of recovery. Nevertheless, the company can use the problem to its own benefit, especially when it had no responsibility in the crisis, as in the case of COVID-19 disease outbreak and pandemic. The organisation can indeed employ its communication channels to extol its disaster response mechanisms and its efforts to support the communities affected. This study focuses on the genre of CSR reports by analysing, in a diachronic perspective, texts published before and after the COVID-19 pandemic by two of the largest businesses in the world, Amazon and Walmart, both based in the United States. Although the two companies offer a different range of products, both were able to grant necessary services in the period of stay-at-home orders, closure of nonessential businesses, and strict limitations on people’s movement. The analysis aims at investigating how the companies adapted their promotional strategies in their most recent CSR reports compared to the previous ones, how they framed COVID-19 and how they exploited the issue for the rhetorical construction of an ethical corporate image. The study will examine the texts from a Corpus-Assisted Critical Discourse Analysis approach, to identify issues, motifs, and actions foregrounded by the companies in their narrative of the pandemic. Since sustainability reports are multimodal texts, representing a union of written elements, graphs, and images, the paper will also examine how the companies represent COVID-19-related issues in their visuals, always to enact a self-presentation of the attributes they wish to promote as central to the organisation’s ethics.

Plastic is a functional and ubiquitous material in our daily lives and economies. Nevertheless, the way plastics are currently produced, used and discarded is causing serious harms to the environment, especially to the seas. Initiatives to eliminate the over-consumption of plastic goods are gaining momentum around the world. The European Union is also implementing measures aimed at restricting the use of single-use plastics. In particular, the European Commission is currently conducting a public communication campaign to raise aware-ness of the impacts of products such as cotton buds, plastic bags and cutlery, while suggesting sustainable options. Like many institutions, the EU exploits the reach and interactivity of social media to communicate with citizens, by managing several thematic Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts, apart from its institutional web portals. The present paper focuses on #ReadyToChange, the EU digital strategy to reduce single-plastics use. The study examines a corpus collecting the textual and multimodal materials published about the issue by the EU Commission Directorate-General for Environment on its specially-designed websites (https://www.bereadyto-change.eu/ and https://plastics-strategy.prezly.com/) and on its social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) since June 2018, also comparing the way the same campaign is adapted and conveyed through the different digital media. The research applies Multimodal Discourse Analysis to the study of web-mediated institutional communication. In particular, the study investigates the persuasive strategies enacted by the EU to appeal its audience, with a focus on the selection and representation of the impacts of unnecessary plastic consumption and on the promotion of alternative solutions.

Customers are today becoming more and more reliant on online travel reviews for their buying decisions, such as where to stay on holiday or where to have dinner in a foreign town. In particular, TripAdvisor has become a first stop for travel planning. People are increasingly engaging in electronic word-of-mouth (Pollach 2006), thus potentially influencing a business’ economic performance. Firms cannot generally get negative reviews changed or removed, but the website grants a ‘right to reply’ function where owners can respond to criticism or thank customers for the compliments obtained (TripAdvisor 2014). The present study calls into question the way restaurants are exploiting this medium, taking the opportunity to learn from the experiences of their customers or, instead, trying to discredit the reliability of the feedback received. Complaint response represents a critical part of a business’ customer relationship management, being responsiveness, compensation and contact highly valued by customers (Avant 2013). The paper aims at investigating the owners’ replies to negative comments in UK and Italy. Our corpus collects a set of low score reviews left on TripAdvisor website for restaurants situated in the two countries. Zhang and Vásquez’s (2014) analysis of the generic structure of hotel responses to customer complaints represents a practical reference to classify the moves enacted in the texts. Our study investigates the argumentations exploited by managers and owners to try to defend and rebuild trust and reputation, letting diners know that their opinions matter or, instead, imposing the firm’s contrasting — and sometimes angry — point of view. Corpus-assisted discourse analysis (Baker 2006) constitutes a useful framework to help spot the characteristics typifying the owners’ attitudes towards criticism in the two different cultural contexts, by means of the interpretation of tendencies and discursive patterns.

In the last decades, Corporate Social Responsibility reporting practices have grown exponentially, complementing the information disclosed in financial accounts and enabling stakeholders to estimate the intangible value drivers and the overall triple bottom line achievements. The emergent genre has an intrinsic hybrid nature (Bhatia 2004), combining informative and promotional purposes, partly disclosing data and partly trying to build an ethical corporate image and reputation in order to increase profitability. Reporting has been criticised for being a mere tick mark exercise and a whitewashing technique. Balance should nevertheless be among the basic principles ensuring a report transparency, publishing both positive and negative aspects of the company’s operations, admitting challenges and missed targets, poor performance or noncompliance with laws or regulations, issues causing conflicts or image damage. Such an honest presentation would enable a reasoned assessment of the overall performance and enhance corporate credibility (Gazdar 2007; GRI). The present study, part of a larger research project, is conducted on CorSus, a corpus of sustainability reports in English issued between 2008 and 2011 by oil and electric companies operating in emerging and industrial countries. Being energy production and use a sensitive industrial area, which is based on limited resources and still a major cause of risk of incidents and contamination, energy companies are subject to extensive legal requirements. A corpus-assisted discourse analysis is carried out on CorSus, with the aid of the analytical tool of the Appraisal Framework (Martin and White 2005). The paper focuses on the attitude adopted to communicate regulatory compliance, to report breaches and consequent penalties and to promote their commitments and activities going beyond the basic demands. In particular, the investigation aims at unveiling how words are non-neutrally used by the selected companies to construct discourses and views, to create and communicate a trustworthy and ethical image to stakeholders and ultimately to attract investors.

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the companiesʼ obligations towards the environment, the workers and the consumers. Two environmental disasters, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill (April 2010) and the Fukushima nuclear accident (March 2011), have drawn even more attention to the problematic issue of 66 sustainability. Yet, it has been argued that developing countries could follow an alternative path of growth, with lower levels of environmental pressure. For this research, a corpus of annual sustainability reports issued between 2008 and 2011 by oil and energy companies operating in emerging and industrial countries has been collected and processed by means of corpus investigation software. A corpus-driven discourse analysis of sustainability reports, an evolving genre combining informative and promotional purposes, can reveal how linguistic and textual choices are used by firms to build trust and reputation and to pursue their business interests. The paper will examine the texts in order to identify possible common discourses arising within the groups of countries selected. Furthermore, it will study how the companies communicate risks and try to keep their corporate and sector image following the two environmental disasters.

The thesis analysed the discourse of Corporate Social Responsibility reports issued by oil and electric companies operating in emerging and industrial countries. Through a combined quantitative and qualitative approach, the research attempted to reveal how linguistic and textual choices are used by firms to build trust and reputation and to pursue their business interests. More specifically, it aimed at identifying common discourses arising within the emerging countries, which could suggest a possible distinction between a "developing" and a "developed" environmental ethics.

This study analysed a corpus of e-petitions calling for action against climate change, published on Change.org in the USA and UK. The investigation focuses on the persuasive strategies employed in user-generated discourse, and compares the trends emerging in the two national contexts. The analysis centres on how petitioners engage with climate science, re-mediating scientific concepts by explaining global phenomena in their own words and referring to authoritative sources. The study thus explores the use of interactive metadiscourse devices typical of popular science writing. The approach is based on corpus-assisted discourse analysis. The study revealed that climate change was perceived as a documented threat requiring urgent action. It was frequently addressed in conjunction with other topics, particularly wildlife and water conservation in the USA, and land protection in the UK. All petitions contained a mediation of specialised information, encompassing general references to environmental issues and specific evidence quoted from scientific research. The present study analyses a corpus collecting a selection of online petitions that call for action against climate change. The texts were retrieved from the USA and UK versions of Change.org, one of the most popular e-petition websites. The study focuses on the discursive strategies exploited in the user-generated discourse to gain support for the environmental cause. The analysis also compares the discursive trends emerging in different national and regulatory contexts. E-petition texts attempt at persuading readers through multiple techniques, e.g. requesting urgent action, exploiting emotions, highlighting the author’s credibility, and providing detailed supporting data. In particular, the present investigation focuses on the way e-petitioners engage in scientific popularisation, re-mediating climate science, by both explaining global phenomena in their own words and making reference to authoritative sources.

In the contemporary crisis of representative democracy, the increased accessibility of the Internet has favoured novel forms of civic engagement. E-petition platforms like Change.org have empowered individuals to address decision-makers on various issues, utilising the web to gather endorsement. During the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccination campaigns polarised public opinion, with some advocating a widespread distribution of vaccines and others rejecting them for various reasons. The swift authorisation and implementation of vaccine mandates amplified fear and mistrust, skilfully exploited by spreaders of misinformation and conspiracy theories. Integrating Critical Discourse Analysis with Corpus Linguistics, this study examines a corpus of online petitions in favour and against Covid-19 vaccinations published on Change.org in the United States and Italy. In both countries, vaccination proponents emphasise the prioritisation of human health by protecting vulnerable groups and waiving vaccine patent rights. Opposers of vaccination present a range of motivations, including doubts about vaccine safety, concerns about individual rights, and arguments against mandates. They may also tap into a populist distrust of political elites and health authorities. Consequently, the petitions blend elements from different genres, encompassing political propaganda and popular science.

Lo sguardo sulla realtà e il linguaggio dell " immaginazione possono coniugarsi felicemente sul piano artistico se l " emozione convive con l " impegno, l " arte con la lotta per il cambiamento. I rapporti dell " uomo con i problemi della nostra epoca sono rapporti che non devono proprio fare a meno di una carica esplosiva sul piano dei sentimenti e delle possibile esperienze artistiche. Abstract Il contributo intende offrire spunti di riflessione sul legame tra cinema, creatività e pratica turistica nei processi di valorizzazione e promozione (cine)turistica che interessano, in particolare, le destinazioni minori. A tal fine, viene presentata l " esperienza dell " Irpinia in cui l " autenticità dei luoghi e le aspirazioni di pochi illuminati con l " amore per la " Settima arte " hanno, fin da inizio Novecento, ispirato diversi progetti cinematografici che, mescolando suggestioni reali con effetti virtuali cinematografici, hanno proposto una trasposizione della cultura e dei costumi, delle tradizioni e dei modi di vivere dell " Irpinia. Un binomio, quello tra il cinema e l " Irpinia, che ben presto trasforma Avellino, a quei tempi uno dei capoluoghi più poveri e sperduti d " Italia, nella capitale mondiale del cinema neorealistico; capace di incidere attivamente sull " arretratezza tipica delle realtà meridionali. Il contributo, attraverso un " analisi delle più celebri pellicole girate in Irpinia, ripercorre il legame tra Cinema e territorio; un legame storico che vede nell " immigrazione, nella fede e nel realismo delle location i leit-motiv del patrimonio cinematografico irpino; un patrimonio che oggi viene riportato alla ribalta da nuovi entusiasmi che animano tutta una serie di progettualità di cine-turismo atti a realizzare nuove forme di sviluppo locale attraverso la pratica turistica legata alle emozioni e alle immagini che il cinema è in grado di trasmettere. Abstract The objective of the paper is to make a reflection on the relationship between cinema, creativity and practical tourism in the processes of development and promotion of cinetourism which affect, in particular, the minor destinations. To this end, the experience of Irpinia is presented, where the authenticity of the places and the aspirations of a few enlightened by love for the " Seventh Art " has, since the early twentieth century, inspired several film projects, mixing suggestions real with virtual effects film, have proposed a transposition of the culture and customs, traditions and ways of life of Irpinia. A combination between the cinema and Irpinia which transforms Avellino, at the time one of the poorest and remotest provincial of Italy, the world capital of cinema neorealist; able to influence actively on backwardness typical of southern reality.

The diffusion and easy access to geographic and computer equipment has revolutionized not only the models of communication, but also the techniques of production and diffusion of geographic information, combining more and more objective dimension of knowledge with that subjective and perceptive. At the same time, through the Virtual globe (Google Earth, GPS, etc.) or the so-called Volunteered Geographic Information (Wikimapia, Open street map, Google My Maps, etc.) also the spatial dimension of knowledge has found new life in the world of digital communication and Web 2.0. This paper, therefore, part from the theoretical constructs object of the Cybergeography [22], of the Geographical information science [29; 6] or of what many call " Neogeography " or " Geography from below " [44], focusing on new dynamics of interaction between technologies, territories and communities in tourism, or on how the tourist information-which is the basis of the image and attractiveness of a tourist place, and therefore of competitiveness-born more and more by the interaction between the territory and the community in the age of digital communications and social networks. The literature review on issues specifically dealt with, will be accompanied by the presentation of some experiences of Virtual Community particularly significant as a form of representation and self-representation of local tourist systems through a Tourism 2.0.

RETI TERRITORIALI DEL VOLONTARIATO PER LA PREVENZIONE ONCOLOGICA. IL CASO AMDOS E AMOS IRPINE
Riassunto-Il recente rapporto Aiom sullo "Stato dell'oncologia in Italia 2017", nel declinare numeri e caratteristiche di un fenomeno in costante crescita, ha posto l'attenzione sull'im-portanza della prevenzione, evidenziando come al Sud si registra una minore sopravvivenza alla malattia perché gli screening oncologici sono ancora poco diffusi. Contestualmente sono molte le regioni italiane che introducono politiche sanitarie in ottica distrettuale finalizzate ad avvicinare i servizi sanitari ai pazienti, rivalutando il ruolo dell'assistenza al di fuori delle strutture ospedaliere. Quello, però, di cui è carente il Sistema Sanitario Nazionale, e sui cui ancora gli enti territoriali intervengono poco, è l'implementazione di politiche sanitarie distrettuali in grado di accorciare le distanze tra i cittadini e la prevenzione oncologica: negli ultimi anni questo percorso di "avvicinamento" è di competenza quasi esclusiva delle associazioni di volontariato (Europadonna, Favo, AimaC, Salute Donna Onlus….). Il pre-sente lavoro, attraverso il caso delle Amdos e Amos Irpine, vuole non solo rappresentare un caso di eccellenza di rete territoriale che in maniera capillare sensibilizza agli screening e organizza attività di prevenzione del cancro al seno (e non solo) per le comunità irpine come integrazione al non sufficiente Servizio Sanitario Pubblico, ma evidenziare quanto sia fondamentale istituzionalizzare il ruolo del volontariato oncologico nella consapevolezza che una solida rete di servizi territoriali possa rispondere con efficienza e tempestività alle esigenze socio-sanitarie-assistenziale delle comunità locali.
Abstract-The recent Aiom report on "State of Oncology in Italy 2017", declining numbers and characteristics of a constantly growing phenomenon, has focused on the importance of prevention: it has showed that in the South of Italy there are more daedly cases of cancer because are still uncommon. At the same time, there are many Italian Regions that introduce district health policies aimed at reducing distances between patients and sanitary services, reassessing the role of assistance outside the hospitals. The National Health System and the local health authorities are still lacking in the implementation of district health policies that can reduce the distance between citizens and oncological pre

The aim of this original contribution is to present the procedures and process initiated by some municipalities in inland areas for the inclusion of an ancient rural tradition, practiced in south-central Italy—the “Tracing of the straight furrow”—in the “National Register of Rural Landscapes of Historic Interest, Agricultural Practices and Traditional Knowledge”. The registry proposes to identify and catalog in a database the rural landscapes, practices and knowledge worthy of importance to safeguard their integrity and vulnerability. The article describes the research activity that was implemented to record the practice, and also wants to show that the standard procedure prepared by the Ministry cannot consist only of desk analysis (data collection, and preparation of the required dossier). Indeed, there is a need to initiate a process that, starting with the proposing institutions, involves local actors and communities who are familiar with traditional places and practices. Citize...

Il contributo intende offrire spunti di riflessione sul legame tra cinema, creativita e pratica turistica nei processi di valorizzazione e promozione (cine)turistica che interessano, in particolare, le destinazioni minori. A tal fine, viene presentata l’esperienza dell’ Irpinia in cui l’autenticita dei luoghi e le aspirazioni di pochi illuminati con l’amore per la “Settima arte” hanno, fin da inizio Novecento, ispirato diversi progetti cinematografici che, mescolando suggestioni reali con effetti virtuali, hanno proposto una trasposizione della cultura e dei costumi, delle tradizioni e dei modi di vivere dell’Irpinia. Un binomio, quello tra il Cinema e l’Irpinia, che ben presto trasforma Avellino, a quei tempi uno dei capoluoghi piu poveri e sperduti d’Italia, nella capitale mondiale del cinema neorealistico; capace di incidere attivamente sull’arretratezza tipica delle realta meridionali. Il contributo, a partire da un’analisi delle piu celebri pellicole girate in Irpinia, rilegge ...