1,720,998 research outputs found
Normal emissivity of samples surrounded by surfaces at diverse temperatures
No full textThe paper deals with the temperature influence of surfaces surrounding a sample on its emitted and reflected radiation during high temperature pyrometry (T > 900 K). Measurements of the true and radiant T have been carried out for stainless steel and titanium samples inside a tubular furnace with a commercial high temperature pyrometer. The band normal emissivity has been computed using a special procedure taking into account reflection of radiation from the furnace walls, whose T was continuously recorded. The total uncertainty of calculated emissivity resulted in few thousands, corresponding to an uncertainty of the sample temperature of about 2 degrees C. The emissivity of the sample, and consequently its true temperature, have been evaluated taking into account both the radiation emitted by surfaces surrounding the sample and the one detected by the pyrometer. All these data, during both heating and cooling, are processed by means of a linear multiple regression, and the best estimate of the emissivity and reflectivity independently was given. Finally true temperature during the usual production practise of metallurgical products can be easily obtained. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Governance, Entrepreneurial Orientation and Performance in Italian SMEs
No full textAbstract
Aim of the paper
The aim of the paper is to investigate the dynamic of the relationship between governance structure,
entrepreneurial orientation (EO), and performance in Italian small and medium-enterprises (SMEs).
Italian SMEs are characterized by governance structure in which ownership, board and top
management often overlap. Several studies highlight how these features affect the strategy, the
innovativeness, the risk-taking, and the financial and organizational performance. Governance
structure appears to be a key factor in influencing the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and
consequently firm performance.
The contribution to the literature
Within the field of studies concerning the corporate governance of SMEs, the present work
underlines the possibility to consider also the EO in the investigation of the existing relations
between governance and performance of the enterprise. In the field of the literature on the
entrepreneurship, this research supports the affirmation that the relationship between the EO and the
performance is more complex than a simple direct relationship and underling the necessity to take
into consideration also the effects produced by the inside characteristics of the enterprise.
The methodology
We used a survey data from 89 SMEs. For each company were measured dimensions of governance
(GOV), entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and performance (PFR).
Structural model with latent variables was applied; both the measurement model and structural
model are simultaneously estimated by LISREL.
For each hypothesis we calculated path coefficients and test statistical significance, and the
resulting model’s goodness of fit indicated how model fit in the analysis.
The results and implication
The analysis of the results of the research highlight that the opening of the governance mechanisms
to the extraneous subjects to both the family and the company, together with effective delegation
processes of governance functions, constitutes a determinant key to the possible company results
Progetto Vi.Re.H.: La Virtual Reality accessibile ai diversamente abili.
No full textIl progetto Vi.Re.H. (Virtual Reality for Handicap) si è proposto di approfondire la conoscenza e valutare le potenzialità educative e riabilitative delle nuove tecnologie informatiche basate sulla Realtà Virtuale. In una prospettiva pedagogica (generale, speciale e sperimentale) lo studio e la ricerca dell'applicazione di queste tecnologie risultano fondamentali per contestualizzarne l'utilizzo nell'ambito di specifici progetti educativi, onde poterne valutare in maniera significativa pregi e limiti: in particolare nella riabilitazione cognitiva e funzionale, nel recupero di disabilità particolari e più in generale nella didattica speciale. Obiettivo principale della ricerca è stata la sperimentazione su soggetti disabili e normodotati di applicazioni basate su tecnologie informatiche che implementano tecnologie di Realtà Virtuale, verificandone le significatività e individuandone le potenzialità nell'uso educativo e riabilitativo, al fine di promuoverne l'utilizzo in ambito scolastico, sanitario e familiare. Al conseguimento dell'obiettivo primario si sono collegati i seguenti sotto-obiettivi: 1) la definizione di un protocollo di osservazione e di stimolazione cognitiva, con lo sviluppo di metodiche applicative della Realtà Virtuale con soggetti disabili e normodotati; 2) l'analisi pedagogica delle significatività emergenti nella somministrazione del protocollo in soggetti normodotati e disabili (casualmente ripartiti nel gruppo di controllo e in quello di sperimentazione); 3) la definizione di un ambiente integrato (Hardware e Software) ad un costo accessibile varie strutture pedagogiche istituzionali (Scuola e Famiglia in primo luogo, ma anche Cooperative, CEOD, Associazioni ecc.) con l'indicazione dei requisiti tecnici minimi indispensabili
La ragioneria scientifica e le sue relazioni con le discipline amministrative e sociali - Ristampa con il contributo di M. De Nicola e con schede Bibliografiche curate da C. Corsi e S. Giuliani
No full text
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Family involvement in the board and the top management team: the moderation effects on EO-performance relationship
No full textRecent meta-analysis confirms that Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) is a substantial predictor of firm performance (Rauch et al. 2009). Yet the relationship between EO and the performance is more complex than a simple direct relationship (Lumpkin and Dess, 1996) and there is still a lack of knowledge about which factors moderate this causal linkage.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the degree to which governance structures in SMEs moderate the effectiveness of EO on firm performance. Specifically, we study the family/non-family composition of both board and top management teams. Our random sample is drawn from 1,160 Italian manufacturing SMEs compiled by the Center for Social and Economic Studies of Chamber of commerce, 94 CEO responded to a survey sent to 590 of these SMEs to collect data related to EO and governance characteristics. Financial performance data was taken from AIDA Bureau van Dijk's database.
A hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to test our hypothesis.
Our main results demonstrate that when there is a Family only Board composition then EO has a negative and slight impact, when there is a non-family-only board then EO has a strong and positive influence on firm performance. Moreover, we find that if TMT is dominated by family, then high EO has a negative impact on firm performance, while if the TMT is non-family, then the impact is really strong. Future research is required to investigate which family/non family board behaviour and characteristics enable firms to effectively translate EO into firm performance
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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