Cloud computing in industrial SMEs: Identification of the barriers to its adoption and effects of its application

ABSTRACT: Cloud computing is a new technological paradigm that may revolutionize how organizations use IT by facilitating delivery of all technology as a service. In the literature, the Cloud is treated mainly through a technological approach focused on the concept definition, service models, infrastructures for its evelopment and security problems. However, there is an important lack of works which analyze this paradigm adoption in SMEs and its results, with a gap between the technological development and its adoption by organizations. This paper uses a qualitative technique methodology -group meetings with managers- and a quantitative one-survey- and identifies which factors act as barriers to Cloud adoption and which positive effects its application generates in 94 industrial SMEs. The conclusion is that the main barriers are of a cultural type and that the positive effects go well beyond reducing costs

La Relación Entre la Motivación Docente y Variables de la Organización: Revisión de la Literatura

Abstract Teacher motivation plays a central role in education because ofitsimpacton student motivation. Previous reviews of teacher motivation have focused on individual variables and psychopathology indicators. However, it is also important to understand the effect of organizational variableson teacher motivationbecause these highlightthe contextthat the teacher is a part of(i.e.,the school). The literature review in this paper analysed studies related to teacher motivation and a pre-defined group of organizational variablesthat werepublished between 1990 and 2014 in several electronic databases.The study found that organizational culture was the most studied variable associated with teacher motivationand most studies in this area were published between 2010 and 2014.Further,there was a prevalence of quantitative studies. This paper concludes with the theoreticaland practical implications of the results,as well assuggestions for future research directions

Metabolic responses to high pCO2 conditions at a CO2 vent site in juveniles of a marine isopod species assemblage

We are starting to understand the relationship between metabolic rate responses and species' ability to respond to exposure to high pCO2. However, most of our knowledge has come from investigations of single species. The examination of metabolic responses of closely related species with differing distributions around natural elevated CO2 areas may be useful to inform our understanding of their adaptive significance. Furthermore, little is known about the physiological responses of marine invertebrate juveniles to high pCO2, despite the fact they are known to be sensitive to other stressors, often acting as bottlenecks for future species success. We conducted an in situ transplant experiment using juveniles of isopods found living inside and around a high pCO2 vent (Ischia, Italy): the CO2 'tolerant' Dynamene bifida and 'sensitive' Cymodoce truncata and Dynamene torelliae. This allowed us to test for any generality of the hypothesis that pCO2 sensitive marine invertebrates may be those that experience trade-offs between energy metabolism and cellular homoeostasis under high pCO2 conditions. Both sensitive species were able to maintain their energy metabolism under high pCO2 conditions, but in C. truncata this may occur at the expense of [carbonic anhydrase], confirming our hypothesis. By comparison, the tolerant D. bifida appeared metabolically well adapted to high pCO2, being able to upregulate ATP production without recourse to anaerobiosis. These isopods are important keystone species; however, given they differ in their metabolic responses to future pCO2, shifts in the structure of the marine ecosystems they inhabit may be expected under future ocean acidification conditions

Sleep’s Role in Schema Learning and Creative Insights

Purpose of Review A recent resurgence of interest in schema theory has influenced research on sleep-dependent memory consolidation and led to a new understanding of how schemata might be activated during sleep and play a role in the reorganisation of memories. This review aims to synthesise recent findings into a coherent narrative and draw overall conclusions. Recent Findings Rapid consolidation of schematic memories has been shown to benefit from an interval containing sleep. These memories have shown reduced reliance on the hippocampus following consolidation in both humans and rodents. Using a variety of methodologies, notably including the DRM paradigm, it has been shown that activation of a schema can increase the rate of false memory as a result of activation of semantic associates during slow wave sleep (SWS). Memories making use of a schema have shown increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, which may reflect both the schematic activation itself and a cognitive control component selecting an appropriate schema to use. SWS seems to be involved in assimilation of new memories within existing semantic frameworks and in making memories more explicit, while REM sleep may be more associated with creating entirely novel associations while keeping memories implicit. Summary Sleep plays an important role in schematic memory consolidation, with more rapid consolidation, reduced hippocampal involvement and increased prefrontal involvement as the key characteristics. Both SWS and REM sleep may have a role to play

Integrated Reporting and Integrating Thinking: Practical Challenges

Integrated reporting () is currently a hot topic for academic research because of the practical challenges businesses encounter when implementing it. Motivated by the results from the IIRC’s call for feedback on the International Framework () implementation, this chapter focuses on the challenges of integrated thinking and examines the extant academic literature to offer contributions for future research based on practice. We find that integrated thinking suffers from significant conceptual, theoretical and practical challenges, which obstruct the claimed benefits deriving from the adoption of . Therefore, this chapter contributes to rethinking the paradigm of integrated thinking as an internal managerial practice, and calls for pragmatic research investigating internal practices and integrated thinking. Within third-stage research, that provides a critical and performative assessment of in action, we advocate that researchers need to shift the focus from reporting to internal practices. Accordingly, we claim that managers need to abandon the compliance-driven logic underpinning external reporting to foster integrated thinking and unlock its potential in practice

Assurance on Integrated Reporting: A Critical Perspective

This research investigates how non-financial information is assured in the context of the Integrated Reporting Framework. In particular, we try to understand, through the lens of the legitimacy theory, whether the assurance process is a tool that enhances user trust. A study, based on semi-structured interviews with a group of experts, is presented. The respondents are practitioners, academics and investors directly involved in assurance debates. Consistent with legitimacy theory, most practitioners agree assurance adds value to the reporting process. However, other academics and investors are skeptical about whether assurance reduces agent-principle gaps. Their main concerns regard the difficulty in assuring qualitative information, and the discretion grants to management in the reporting process

Searching for Social and Environmental Accountability in Integrated Reporting: A Stewardship Approach

none2The study aims to examine the role of integrated reporting () Framework as part of the corporate reporting systems through the lenses of both the managerial and organisational approach and the social accounting approach identified by Contrafatto (2014) within the stewardship theory. The study adopts the Delphi method, based on semi-structured interviews conducted to gather insights from a pilot sample made up of experts operating in academia, institutions and corporate and investors’ networks, who are directly involved in the debate. Our findings support a potentially positive impact of Framework within corporate reporting systems thanks to its innovative characteristics. This study contributes to the need to support by examining its impact on management thinking and internal transformations (Adhariani and de Villiers 2019) and encouraging behaviours consistent with organisations’ sustainability objectives (De Villiers and Maroun 2017).restrictedCorrado, Miriam; Demartini, PaolaCorrado, Miriam; Demartini, Paol