“And yet it moves!” An institutional analysis of the Immobili’s motion towards hybridity

PurposeThis paper aims to inform the discussion on why and how non-profit organizations can experience a hybridization process to address the criticism that would assume hybridity as an intrinsic characteristic of all organizations. Specifically, by referring to the academies of intellectuals as the non-profit setting in which investigating the emergence of hybridity takes place, this paper aims at exploring, first, to what extent this emergence could be induced by institutional conditions, and, second, which structural innovations could sustain the academies' "motion" towards hybridity. Design/methodology/approachThis paper relies on the institutional logics perspective and adopts the case study method applied to a historical context. The case under analysis is the Academy of "the Immobili", which, in spite of its name, experienced a hybridization process in 1720 because of the decision to involve an impresario in the management of its theatre. FindingsThe findings highlight the significant role played by institutional conditions in inducing the emergence of hybridity, even in presence of internal resistance to any "motion" from the non-profit setting. Moreover, the analysis of the innovations associated with this emergence detects the intertwined action of the different decision makers involved in the hybridization process, in spite of their formal separation. These findings strengthen the conceptualization of hybridity within non-profit organizations. Originality/valueBesides referring to a historical period that is still little explored in terms of hybridity within organizations, the paper focuses on an original context, i.e. academies, representing an ancient typology of cultural organizations. Therefore, the paper also provides the first insights into the hybridization process of cultural organizations from a historical perspective

Book Review: Konecki, Krzysztof T. 2018. "Advances in Contemplative Social Research". Lodz: Wydawnictwo UŁ / Cracow: Jagiellonian University Press

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The impact of corporate governance on the market value of financial institutions : empirical evidences from Italy

This paper analyses how the quality of the Corporate Governance system impacts on the market value of Italian financial institution listed on Italian Stock Exchange. As implementing a good Corporate Governance is costly, this study is useful to verify if the investment is worth its cost. This work wants to fill a gap in literature: in fact there are few studies that have focused on financial institutions despite the central role that they hold in the real economy, especially in Italy where the enterprises are highly dependent on the banking system for their financing needs

Stakeholder Engagement in Cultural Organizations: An Explorative Study on Participatory Theatre

This article explores the potentialities of the stakeholder engagement framework in the specific context of cultural organizations, underscoring the necessity to develop an interdisciplinary approach that combines the traditional managerial perspective with the contribution offered by other social disciplines, due to the peculiarities of the cultural mission pursued. Specifically, the article aims to investigate on the stakeholder engagement process to verify: a) how it may be adapted to consider the peculiarities of the cultural organizations and their activities; b) why cultural organizations should adopt the framework as here suggested referring to the cultural mission pursued. Combining the literature review with the analysis of a case study of participatory theatre, this article expects: a) to suggest a stakeholder engagement framework that may be specific for cultural organizations and their community; b) to verify its effectiveness in terms of both creation of cultural value and improvement of cultural participation

The relationship between the board of directors and the performance. Analysis of family and non family firms in Italy

This paper analyses how board composition can affect not only the financial, but also the social performance of Italian family and non-family firms. Results confirm an improvement in firm profitability when its board dimension decreased or its number of independent directors increased. As for social aspects, performance depends on the effectiveness and efficiency of the Board’s decision-making process, as well as on the corporate culture and the individual culture of directors. The role of the Board may be important in shaping corporate culture and thus the sensitivity and awareness of the corporate socio-political dimension of management, if it is acknowledged at a leadership role level.Este trabajo analiza cómo afecta la composición del Consejo de administración al rendimiento financiero y social de empresas familiares y no familiares italianas. Los resultados confirman una mejora en la rentabilidad de la empresa cuando el tamaño del Consejo disminuye o el número de directores independientes aumenta. En cuanto a aspectos sociales, el rendimiento depende de la efectividad del proceso de toma de decisiones del Consejo, tanto como de la cultura corporativa y la cultura individual de los directores. El papel del Consejo es importante para dar forma a la sensibilidad y conciencia de la dimensión política y social de la empresa, si se reconoce su papel de liderazgo

11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 regulates glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance in skeletal muscle

OBJECTIVE: Glucocorticoid excess is characterized by increased adiposity, skeletal myopathy, and insulin resistance, but the precise molecular mechanisms are unknown. Within skeletal muscle, 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) converts cortisone (11-dehydrocorticosterone in rodents) to active cortisol (corticosterone in rodents). We aimed to determine the mechanisms underpinning glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance in skeletal muscle and indentify how 11beta-HSD1 inhibitors improve insulin sensitivity. \ud RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Rodent and human cell cultures, whole-tissue explants, and animal models were used to determine the impact of glucocorticoids and selective 11beta-HSD1 inhibition upon insulin signaling and action. \ud RESULTS: Dexamethasone decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, decreased IRS1 mRNA and protein expression, and increased inactivating pSer$^{307}$ insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1. 11beta-HSD1 activity and expression were observed in human and rodent myotubes and muscle explants. Activity was predominantly oxo-reductase, generating active glucocorticoid. A1 (selective 11beta-HSD1 inhibitor) abolished enzyme activity and blocked the increase in pSer$^{307}$ IRS1 and reduction in total IRS1 protein after treatment with 11DHC but not corticosterone. In C57Bl6/J mice, the selective 11beta-HSD1 inhibitor, A2, decreased fasting blood glucose levels and improved insulin sensitivity. In KK mice treated with A2, skeletal muscle pSer$^{307}$ IRS1 decreased and pThr$^{308}$ Akt/PKB increased. In addition, A2 decreased both lipogenic and lipolytic gene expression.\ud CONCLUSIONS: Prereceptor facilitation of glucocorticoid action via 11beta-HSD1 increases pSer$^{307}$ IRS1 and may be crucial in mediating insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. Selective 11beta-HSD1 inhibition decreases pSer$^{307}$ IRS1, increases pThr$^{308}$ Akt/PKB, and decreases lipogenic and lipolytic gene expression that may represent an important mechanism underpinning their insulin-sensitizing action

Accountability and music: accounting, emotions and responses to the 1913 concert for Giuseppe Verdi

Purpose: This study aims to explore the engagement between accounting and music in the social and relational construction of accountability. The authors conceive this construction as a dynamic and recursive interplay between the giving of different accounts and the responses that these accounts provoke. The authors investigate the emotional dimension of this interplay, as it is also triggered by music, feeding back into how accountability is constructed and evolves over time. Design/methodology/approach: This study relies upon a historical analysis of archival and secondary sources about the main music concert organized in 1913 by the founder of “Accademia Chigiana”, one of the leading music academies in Italy. The concert celebrated the first centenary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi, a worldwide famous Italian music composer, and icon of Italian national sentiment. Findings: This study shows that music and accounting were profoundly intertwined in the social and relational construction of accountability for the 1913 concert. Accountability evolved through different accounts, also linked to music, and the complex emotional reactions these accounts provoked in the audiences, citizens, media and institutions, leading to always further responses and accounts in the ongoing construction of accountability. Originality/value: This study extends prior literature on the chameleonic nature of accountability, as well as on its relational and emotional dimensions. The study shows that accountability is relationally constructed and evolves over time through the giving of accounts and the emotional reaction they provoke from others, feeding into further responses and accounts of the accountable subject. The authors show how the chameleonic nature of accountability permeates not only the accounts and the relations of accountability but also the subjects giving and demanding the accounts: these subjects change as chameleons through their interactions and emotions, feeding into the dynamic construction of accountability. The authors also show how arts, like music, can participate in the chameleonic nature of accountability and of its subjects, precisely by engaging with their emotional reactions and responses

Effects of Streptozocin Diabetes and Diabetes Treatment by Islet Transplantation on In Vivo Insulin Signaling in Rat Heart

The insulin signaling cascade was investigated in rat myocardium in vivo in the presence of streptozocin (STZ)-induced diabetes and after diabetes treatment by islet transplantation under the kidney capsule. The levels of insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor β-subunit, insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-2, and p52Shc were increased in diabetic compared with control heart, whereas tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 was unchanged. The amount of the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) and the level of PI 3-kinase activity associated with IRS-2 were also elevated in diabetes, whereas no changes in IRS-1–associated PI 3-kinase were observed. Insulin-induced phosphorylation of Akt on Thr-308 was increased fivefold in diabetic heart, whereas Akt phosphorylation on Ser-473 was normal. In contrast with Akt phosphorylation, insulin-induced phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3, a major cellular substrate of Akt, was markedly reduced in diabetes. In islet-transplanted rats, the majority of the alterations in insulin-signaling proteins found in diabetic rats were normalized, but insulin stimulation of IRS-2 tyrosine phosphorylation and association with PI 3-kinase was blunted. In conclusion, in the diabetic heart, 1) IRS-1, IRS-2, and p52Shc are differently altered, 2) the levels of Akt phosphorylation on Ser-473 and Thr-308, respectively, are not coordinately regulated, and 3) the increased activity of proximal-signaling proteins (i.e., IRS-2 and PI 3-kinase) is not propagated distally to GSK-3. Islet transplantation under the kidney capsule is a potentially effective therapy to correct several diabetes-induced abnormalities of insulin signaling in cardiac muscle but does not restore the responsiveness of all signaling reactions to insulin

Managing weight and glycaemic targets in people with type 2 diabetes—How far have we come?

Introduction: As the vast majority of people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are also overweight or obese, healthcare professionals (HCP) are faced with the task of addressing both weight management and glucose control. In this narrative review, we aim to identify the challenges of reaching and maintaining body weight targets in people with T2D and highlight current and future treatment interventions. Methods: A search of the PubMed database was conducted using the search terms “diabetes” and “weight loss.”. Results: According to emerging evidence, treating obesity may be antecedent to the development and progression of T2D. While clinical benefits typically set in upon achieving a weight loss of 3–5%, these benefits are progressive leading to further health improvements, and weight loss of >15% can have a disease-modifying effect in people with T2D, an outcome that up to recently could not be achieved with any blood glucose-lowering pharmacotherapy. However, advanced treatment options with weight-loss effects currently in development including the dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonists may enable simultaneous achievement of individual glycemic and weight goals. Conclusion: Despite considerable therapeutic progress, there is still a large unmet medical need in patients with T2D who miss their individualized glycemic and weight-loss targets. Nonetheless, it is to be expected that development of future therapies and their use will favourably change the scenario of weight and glucose control in T2D