La musica e il potenziamento dei prerequisiti di apprendimento

La música se utiliza como materia optativa en la prevención de los trastornos del aprendizaje. El DSA es una discapacidad específica de aprendizaje, de origen neurobiológico, que afecta a un dominio específico de habilidades (lectura, escritura, cálculo). El curso de introducción en la música fue dirigido a niños de 4 a 6 años de edad, grupo en el que el diagnóstico de DSA no se puede todavía realizar, pero sí podemos identificar aquellos niños en situación de riesgo a través de la evaluación de los requisitos previos de aprendizaje. Objetivo: intervenir de manera preventiva sobre las dificultades de aprendizaje, a través del fortalecimiento de los requisitos previos necesarios, con actividad musical preparatoria en el jardín de infantes. Método: la muestra analizada se compone de 50 niños que pertenecen a una población con edades comprendidas entre los 4 y 6 años. Como muestra se administró la prueba para la evaluación de los requisitos previos de aprendizaje, la PRCR-2 de Cornoldi (2009), antes y después del tratamiento, que abarca un método de introducción de música específico con la pre-escritura y pre-lectura de 7 notas (en el personal) se prolongó durante 4 meses. Conclusión: Los datos obtenidos muestran que la actividad musical se correlaciona positivamente con la mejora de los requisitos previos de aprendizaje.The music is used as an elective channel in the prevention of learning disorder.SLD (Specific Learning Disorder) is a specific learning disability of neurobiological origin, characterized by a lack in a specific learning ability (reading , writing, computing). The preparatory music course was intended for children aged 4 to 6 years, that is the age in which the diagnosis of DSA cannot yet be done but we can still identify children at risk through the evaluation of the prerequisites for learning. Objective: preventative intervention on learning difficulties through the enhancement of prerequisites for reading and writing using preparatory music, during preschool years. Method: The examined sample consists of 50 preschooler aged 4 to 6. The Prcr2 Cornoldi test (2010) had been administered to the sample, before and after the treatment, which consisted in a 4 months Project of preparatory musical activities based on pre-writing and pre-reading the 7 notes (on the staff). Conclusions: The data obtained show that the musical activities correlates positively with the positive evolution of the pre-requisites of learning.La musica viene utilizzata come canale elettivo nella prevenzione dei disturbi di apprendimento. Il DSA è una disabilità specifica dell’apprendimento, di origine neurobiologica, che interessa uno specifico dominio di abilità (lettura, scrittura, calcolo). Il corso di propedeutica musicale è stato rivolto a bambini dai 4 ai 6 anni, fascia di età in cui la diagnosi di DSA non può ancora essere effettuata ma si possono individuare i bambini a rischio attraverso la valutazione dei prerequisiti di apprendimento. Obiettivo: intervenire in maniera preventiva sulle difficoltà di apprendimento, attraverso il potenziamento dei prerequisiti necessari, con attività propedeutica musicale nella scuola d’infanzia. Metodo: il campione esaminato è composto da 50 bambini appartenenti ad una popolazione d’età compresa dai 4 ai 6 anni. Al campione è stato somministrato il test per la valutazione dei prerequisiti di apprendimento, il Prcr-2 di Cornoldi (2009), prima e dopo il trattamento, riguardante uno specifico metodo di propedeutica musicale con attività di pre-scrittura e pre-lettura delle 7 note (nel pentagramma) durato per 4 mesi. Conclusioni: i dati ottenuti evidenziano come l’ attività musicale correli positivamente col miglioramento dei prerequisiti di apprendimento.peerReviewe

Business continuity and planning effectiveness: An empirical analysis of Italian manufacturing SMEs

For decades many researchers have studied companies’ crisis and insolvency forecasting based on economic and financial indexes. However, little attention has been devoted to companies’ organisational structure in setting up favourable conditions in which firms can continue their activities without having to initiate an alert procedure as well as effectively achieve the objectivesforecasted. This is even more important when considering the introduction of Legislative Decree N. 14/2019, which underlines the importance of implementing a structure suitable for guaranteeing a company’s development. This study aims to investigate whether organisational, administrative and accounting structures affect business continuity and planning effectiveness. To this end, the study has adopted a quantitative approach. This paper provides insights into a new management control approach. SMEs should adopt a more structured management approach, driven by an effective company information system able to timely detect the emergence of a crisis and the uncertainty of business continuity

Local relationships matter! The impact of intellectual capital on entrepreneurial bricolage in African social entrepreneurs

Social entrepreneurs aim to create societal value while pursuing financial sustainability. However, they typically face several challenges and constraints when operating in resource-scarce environments. For this reason, social entrepreneurs typically engage in entrepreneurial bricolage, which is described as a process of using whatever tools and resources necessary that are immediately available. The behavioral theory of entrepreneurial bricolage attempts to understand what entrepreneurs do when faced with resource constraints. In this vital process, little empirical research has been conducted to investigate what drives social entrepreneurs to engage in such a way. This study aims to understand the antecedents of bricolage and, in particular, empirically test its link to intellectual capital. A survey was administered to 115 social entrepreneurs from Ghana and Sierra Leone. Data analysis shows that relational capital plays a crucial role in driving social entrepreneurs to engage with bricolage. In fact, the quality of local relationships and external support received (by suppliers, customers, and communities) is positively related and statistically significant with entrepreneurial bricolage. The results of this study not only extend the academic literature of bricolage in social entrepreneurship but also point out the focal role of relational capital as an enabler toward effectively operating in difficult conditions in developing African countries. We thus provide theoretical implications to the field of social entrepreneurship through the lens of intellectual capital and knowledge management. Practical implications are provided to social entrepreneurs operating in developing countries, such as government, NGOs, and agencies seeking to support entrepreneurship initiatives. Limitations and future research opportunities are suggested as well

Joint commitment: An analysis of emotions and non-verbal behaviors

According to Margaret Gilbert, a joint commitment (JC) is a commitment of two or more agents, called the parties of the JC, to engage in a common project. Creating a JC often involves an explicit agreement, carried out in a conversa-tional interaction through overt communication. We ex-plored aspects of such interactions that can be considered as complementary to verbal exchanges, focusing on how a JC is managed by the parties by means of emotional and other non-verbal bodily expressions. We analyzed three phases of the JC lifecycle (creation, maintenance, and violation), and in particular the emotional reaction of the participants to two types of violations by the experimenter. In our analysis we used standardized tools such as the Ethological Coding System for Interviews, the Mind Reading Emotional Library, and the Facial Action Coding System. Our results show that certain non-verbal behaviors in the phase of JC creation are characteristic of the participants who later did not fulfill their commitment. Moreover, the participants’ emotional reactions to JC violation by the experimenter turned out to depend on the type of violation. Finally, the creation and maintenance of JC, and the emotional reaction to its violation, appear to be independent of the participants’ personality and empathic disposition

Entrepreneurs and Capitalism since Luther: Rediscovering the Moral Economy

The book provides an overview of the history of business, capitalism, and entrepreneurship from Martin Luther to Donald Trump in order to highlight the role of social and cultural capital in encouraging business activities. The Authors, Ivan Light and Léo-Paul Dana, examine the availability of social and cultural capital through the analysis of six case studies that illustrate how these forms of capital have evolved from capitalism’s early stages to today. From the analysis emerges that, in capitalism’s early stages, entrepreneurship was mainly driven by social capital, connections were essential to encourage and legitimize business activities; conversely, when capitalism was well established, cultural capital became crucial for entrepreneurship than social capital. Finally, Light and Dana concluded that, to date, the most persistent entrepreneurs are those who retain strong social capital in terms of community ties; in contrast, if lacking social capital, elite entrepreneurs rely on money

The most relevant KPI’s of Intellectual Capital for social cooperative enterprises

Purpose-The paper aims to identify the main value drivers of intellectual capital (i.e. human, relational and structural capital) which significantly affect the value creation process by social cooperative enterprises. Design/methodology/approach-A survey has been conducted involving 151 Italian social cooperatives which provide social, educational and health care services (A-type) or work integration for disadvantage people (B-type). We have developed 22 Key performance indicators able to map the three components of IC for social cooperatives according to the extant literature about NPOs (Non-Profit Organizations) and IC (Intellectual Capital).The descriptive statistical analysis allows to assess the differences among the intellectual capital components according to the geographical localization and the belonging sector of social cooperatives. Findings –The cooperative enterprises which recorded an employment growth in 2015 represent 54% of sampled cooperatives and they are mainly located in the North of Italy. The A-type social cooperatives are characterized by the highest level of graduate employees and yearly training hours per employee. The social cooperatives belonging to a network represent 74.83% of the sample. The network allows to access to a wide range of services in support of the core activities. The A-type social cooperatives express a better judgement about the quality of their relationships with the customers, the community and institutions. These enterprises, especially if they are located in the North and Centre, allocate greater resources to the information and communication technology, they guarantee a greater access to the intranet network and they are more innovative and able to provide new services. One or more certifications are owned by 79.47% of sampled enterprises. The adoption of quality certifications is more common among the A-type social cooperatives located in the South. Originality/value-We focus the attention on the Non-profit sector that is still scarcely studied concerning the role of IC and its effect on the economic and mission-based performance of social enterprises. The social cooperatives are knowledge-intensive enterprises, mission-driver organizations and characterized by human-capital intensive processes and they provide services with a high relational content. It is important to understand how the geographical localization and the sector influence these characteristics

Knowledge Management, Intellectual Capital and Innovation Performance in Italian SMEs

This research aims to provide empirical evidence on the relationship among knowledge management practices, intellectual capital and innovation performance, with the focus on Italian SMEs. Knowledge management and intellectual capital are two strictly related concepts, meaning that the first can be considered as the “motor” of growth and development of the latter. Therefore, changes among a firm’s performance can be due to the way they manage their knowledge and intellectual capital. This is particularly true in the case of small and medium enterprises, considering that due to a lack of physical and financial resources, their success depends on the knowledge, experience and skills of the owner and his employees. SMEs are often described as the backbone of the economy and the engine of economic growth in the industrialized world. In fact, 99% of companies within the European Union are classified as SMEs that employ 66% of its working population. Surprisingly, SMEs have received little attention regarding research compared with large firms. This study uses survey data from 194 Italian SMEs and consistent partial least squares technique. Results clearly show that knowledge management practices have a positive direct impact on each component of intellectual capital. At the same time, differently from structural and relational capital, human capital has no significative direct impact on innovation performance. The main limitation of this study concerns the fact that it focuses only on Italian SMEs and thus, results cannot be generalized

The Effect of Intellectual Capital on Corporate Performance in High-Technology SMEs

The paper aims to investigate the impact of Intellectual Capital (IC) on corporate performance in high-technology Italian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The research question is the following: does intellectual capital affect corporate performance in high-technology SMEs? The Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC) has been employed to determine how human, structural and physical resources affect corporate performance and value creation. The research sample includes 2,442 enterprises operating in the high-technology sectors (Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations; Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products; Manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery). The empirical analysis is relative to the period between 2012 and 2016. The findings show that the effect of both human capital efficiency and physical capital on operating profitability is positive, but the impact of physical capital is stronger. While the structural capital efficiency has a negative effect on corporate performance. The time variables negatively affect corporate performance, with an increasing coefficient in the five years. The main limitation derives from disadvantages of VAIC: it is based on historical data, it does not consider the synergy effects between tangible and intangible assets and the employee training; it does not include relational capital. The study tries to fill the gap in the IC literature by providing insights into the relationships between IC, SMEs and technology. The managerial/entrepreneurial implications are relevant; in fact, physical resources represent the principal lever of performance for managers in high-technology sectors. Human capital efficiency probably has a greater impact in the long period, scarcely significant in the medium term. Finally, the negative effect of structural capital could be caused by an inefficient use of this resource. Moreover, the employed variable could not be adequate to effectively measure this IC component. The interaction among IC components could better explain the impact on corporate performance