Improvisation and Music Education: From the Sonic to Social Attunement

In order to create a relationship to music, artists first need to create a relationship with their inner sound, and the way in which they approach the manifestation of sound from their instrument (whether it'd be through the use of hands, voice, or a plain manifestation of thoughts). Since this process is dialectic in its nature, the ability to develop this type of responsiveness, sometimes referred to as "attunement", is as important in the musical sphere as it is in social exchanges. Therefore, musical practice can play an important role in developing such aptitude among people of all ages. This paper focuses on the factors that stimulate or inhibit expression, through the lens of western classical and Javanese gamelan musical practice. It will be argued that the change of awareness in individual experience, gained through music improvisation can find its reflection on the interactive synchrony in a larger social and cultural frame

Simulation of fluid suspended particle behaviour subject to transverse standing acoustic fields

The computational study addressed the effectiveness with which a standing wave acoustic field could be used to deflect quartz particles carried in water at 20°C through a simple parallelepiped control volume representative of a vertically orientated duct geometry dimensioned 50 × 50 × 70 cm 3 , with square base. An acoustically driven planar standing wave field produces quasi-static oscillatory pressure gradients within resonant cavities, which are responsible for acoustic forces, which act on particles, located within the acoustic field. These forces drive particles to nodal (no fluctuation) or anti-nodal (continuous fluctuation) planes of pressure. Standing wave fields are generally produced by a transducer driving into a fluid through an adhesively bonded matching layer. The wave is reflected at the opposite boundary layer terminating in an air backing. The chamber is dimensioned so as to produce constructive wave interference between the two waves travelling in opposite directions. The acoustic force has been used in small scale filtration systems to deflect particles and on larger scales as a pre filtration agglomerator clumping very small particles which are otherwise poorly filtered in isolation by conventional methods. The study was twofold, in that a major component of the study comprised developing the architecture of the computational model, the other part comprising qualitative model validation through parameter variation. The study involved coupling between Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Software (OpenFOAM) and Discrete Element Modelling (DEM) Software (LIGGGHTS), through a coupling code (CFDEM) built as an extension to OpenFOAM and tailored for LIGGGHTS. The acoustic field was assumed ideal i.e. in a lossless medium with perfect reflection at the opposite wall. Particle-particle and particle-wall collisions were circumvented by using larger time increments, inadequate to resolve col- lisions, and inserting particles in the bulk of the flow away from any wall boundary. Twenty particles with uniform radial size distribution in the range 5-30 micron were seeded in the flow field about 10 cm from the bottom inlet, and carried in the z direction at various flow speeds, 0.1 ms − 1 , 0.5 ms − 1 and 1 ms − 1 , whilst being subject to acoustic forces in the x direction, to investigate deflection response and transducer lengths required to achieve adequate lateral deflection. The model accounted for drag, buoyancy, gravity and primary acoustic forces. Flow velocities distinguished by those maxi mum velocities recorded at duct centrelines were obtained by adjusting pressure gradients across the domain. The fluid continuum was modelled through Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equa- tions, supplemented by an eddy viscosity k − two equation turbulence model. The flow profile was validated against the analytic Darcy-Weisbach pressure to mean velocity relation. Two acoustic driv- ing frequencies, 14794 Hz and 26629 Hz , were investigated for each flow rate to determine the effect frequency had on acoustic force magnitude, nodal distribution and particle residence time. Acoustic deflection efficiency was measured as that time or particle vertical travel length required, coinciding with a lateral deflection to within 1.5 mm of an adjacent nodal plane. From a computational point of interest acoustic force dependencies and trends were qualitatively evaluated for consistency with theoretic equations and published literatur

The performance implications of knowledge management and strategic alignment of MNC subsidiaries

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to investigate antecedents and results of strategic choices of multinational corporation (MNC) subsidiaries in Croatia economy. Hence, the authors examined knowledge management and its association with performance. Additionally, they explored which of the strategies will be most likely chosen by subsidiaries in transitional economies that are characterized by market volatility and uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from a survey of 131 MNC subsidiaries operating in Croatia. To test the theoretical correlation between knowledge management capabilities and strategic orientation, the authors used the ANCOVA method and controlled for industry, years in international business and firm size. Findings: The results pointed out the recognized necessities for a specific alignment between environment, strategy and knowledge management capabilities. The findings also suggest that there is a positive relationship between knowledge management and performance. Research limitations/implications: As with most of the research, this paper has limitations. First, all data were collected using self-report surveys raising the possibility of response set biases. Additionally, all data were collected at one point in one country specifically in Croatia. Practical implications: Clearly, there is substantial interaction between the MNC subsidiary’s environment and the MNC subsidiary’s strategic orientation. Most notably, the environment studied here was at the competitive and consumer market level. Firms need to develop a strategic plan for knowledge management based upon the local environmental influences. Social implications: Other firms from Central and Eastern European and developed countries may compare their own environment, strategy and knowledge management practices in MNCs with findings from Croatia to be aware of similarities and market differences. Originality/value: The strategic employment of knowledge acquisition, conversion and application are examined across firms using the Prospector, Analyzer, Defender and Reactor strategic orientations

Supply chain management as the key to a firm’s strategy in the global marketplace

Purpose: This research aims to analyze the intersection of two literature streams: that of strategy and supply chain management (SCM). This review should create a better understanding of “strategic SCM” by focusing on relevant theories in the strategic management field and their intersection with SCM to develop a joint research agenda. Design/Methodology/Approach: We conducted a correspondence analysis on the content of 3,402 articles from the top SCM journals. This analysis provides a map of the intellectual structure of content in this field to date. The key trends and changes were identified in strategic SCM research from 1990-2014 as well as the intersection with the key schools of strategic management. Findings: The results suggest that SCM is key to a successful deployment of strategy for competing in the global marketplace. The main theoretical foundations for research in this field were identified and discussed. Gaps were detected and combinations of theoretical foundations of strategic management and SCM suggest four poles for future research: agents and focal firm; distributions and logistics strategic models; SCM competitive requirements; SCM relational governance. Research limitations/implications: Scholars in both the strategy and the SCM fields continue to search for competitive advantages. Much recent research indicates that strategic SCM can be a critical source for that advantage. One of the limitations of our research is that the analysis does not include every journal that published an article mentioning SCM. However, the 34 journals selected are reputed to be the most influential on SCM and focused primarily on SCM. Practical implications: The map of the intellectual structure of research to strategic SCM highlights the need to combine different theoretical approaches to the complex phenomenon of SCM. Practitioners should consider the supply chain as an informal organization and should devote time and resources to build a shared advantage across the supply chain. They should also consider the inherent benefits and risks that sharing Originality/value: The paper demonstrates that strategic SCM needs a balanced and rigorous combination of theoretical approaches to deliver more theory-driven evidences. Our research combines both a qualitative analysis and a quantitative methodology that summarizes gaps and then outlines future research from a large sample of articles. This methodology is an original contribution to this field and offers some assistance for enlarging the sample of future literature reviews

Guest Editorial: Agile beyond software - In search of flexibility in a wide range of innovation projects and industries

The nine papers in this special section focus on new developments in agile software and reports on applications for its use. A key aspect for the extensive use of agile software is that it supports developers with coping with the growing uncertainty and turbulence in technological and market environments. Feedback and change are at the core of Agile for a dynamic, evolving, and organic, rather than static, predefined, and mechanistic development process advocated by waterfall management. To create timely, high-quality, cost-efficient, and innovative solutions, Agile developers organized in small, colocated, autonomous teams, build and test software in rapid iterative cycles, actively involving users to gather feedback, updating the project scope, and plan “on-the-fly,” using face-to-face communication as opposed to documentation. These papers contribute to the state-of-the-art of agile research by offering a rich, up-todate account of the dynamics occurring when expanding Agile into “not-just-software” contexts of the key challenges and perils related to the scaling and of the possible solutions to them

Housing in Germania 1980-2005. Standardizzazioni e Pluralismi

La piuttosto insolita tripartizione della forma fisica della presente tesi di dottorato è dovuta all’impostazione decisa dal Collegio docenti del dottorato in Architettura e costruzione – spazio e società. Inoltre va precisato che il tema Housing in Germania fa parte di un tema collettivo ovvero del macrotema Housing in Europa obbligatorio per tutti i dottorandi a partire dal XX ciclo, cioè dall’a.a. 2004-2005. Lo scopo era arrivare a una visione il più possibilmente completa di quanto avviene al progetto di housing nelle varie parti d’Europa nel periodo degli ultimi due decenni del XX secolo, per altro un periodo nel quale il progetto dell’edilizia residenziale pubblica e privata subisce mutamenti notevoli perdendo progressivamente la propria importanza e mutando anche le proprie configurazioni. I tre distinti volumi sono collegati tra loro. Le loro relazioni e la gerarchia interna che si stabilisce tra essi permettono infatti approcci che partono da diversi punti di osservazione. Mentre i volumi I e II costituiscono un’unità o un dialogo, uno testuale e l’altro figurativo, il volume III se ne distacca completamente e volutamente. Esso permette uno spazio di riflessione completamente libera, anche lontana dal tema principale, o come lo auspica il coordinatore del dottorato prof. Benedetto Todaro “un discorso sviluppato dalla costola” o più precisamente un excursus. Affrontare il tema dell’edilizia residenziale collettiva in Germania nel periodo dato, offre possibilità di ricerche e rivelazioni che tutti gli altri paesi europei non possono fornire per il mero fatto che durante tutto il primo decennio in questione esistono tuttora due paesi tedeschi, la Germania dell’ovest o BRD e la Germania dell’est o DDR, due paesi uniti storicamente e linguisticamente ma divisi da sistemi politici diametralmente opposti. Di conseguenza si tratta di due approcci al progetto dell’edilizia residenziale ben diversi. La Germania divisa, anzi le due Germanie negli anni 80 possono essere percepite come la scala intermedia della divisione politica dell’Europa, sottolineata più o meno metaforicamente dalla cortina di ferro. La scala ancora più piccola della divisione è rappresentata dalla stessa città di Berlino, divisa dal muro di Berlino in Berlino-Ovest e Berlino-Est. Quindi la situazione di partenza offre il metodo di indagine scientifica più universale ovvero il metodo del confronto. Emerge che negli anni 80 nella Germania dell’est la famosa Wohnungsfrage, ovvero la questione abitativa, era uno dei problemi politici fondamentali. Le impressionanti quantità di nuovi appartamenti erano possibili grazie alla prefabbricazione pesante, a volte, ma non sempre, a scapito della qualità dei materiali edili impiegati. Invece nello stesso decennio nella Germania dell’ovest si può osservare un vero e proprio cambiamento di paradigma: progressivamente viene abbandonata l’idea del grande quartiere periferico realizzato con metodi costruttivi industrializzati. La scala d’intervento si riduce e anche formalmente si possono osservare tendenze post moderne da una parte ed ecologiche o protosostenibili dall’altra. La caduta del muro di Berlino e la scomparsa della cortina di ferro innescano non soltanto le iniziali euforie anche in ambito architettonico ma soprattutto drastici cambiamenti per quanto riguarda il patrimonio residenziale collettivo della ex-DDR. È impressionante osservare come l’annessione della Germania dell’est alla BRD si ripercuote proprio sulla produzione edilizia che cambia radicalmente da un giorno all’altro. A volte in alcuni casi si potrebbe parlare di una specie di colonizzazione stilistico-architettonica. Di particolare interesse appare però la sistematica e pianificata distruzione parziale o addirittura completa di quartieri edilizi costruiti dalla DDR. La distruzione si avvale anche di un affascinante eufemismo: si tratta del cosiddetto Rückbau ovvero della demolizione che viene percepita positivamente, ovvero come progetto di recupero o di rinnovo del quartiere. Una delle ragioni per la distruzione delle unità abitative – talvolta viene ridotto il numero dei piani in edifici residenziali alti – è il cosiddetto Leerstand, ovvero l’elevato numero di appartamenti vuoti o non affittati. Esso è dovuto in gran parte alle ridotte possibilità lavorative intrinsecamente legate alla transizione politica ed economica, ma talvolta anche alla volontà di alzare il proprio standard abitativo. Contemporaneamente alla distruzione del patrimonio residenziale socialista avviene l’espansione delle aree abitative composte da case singole unifamiliari che progressivamente circondano tutte le grandi città della ex-DDR. Complessivamente negli anni 90 il progetto di housing è dominato dalla reintroduzione di due figure storiche che possono essere definite anti-moderniste, cioè l’isolato chiuso ottocentesco e la casa urbana borghese edificata sul lotto stretto. Nell’ultimo caso si tratta quasi di una suburbanizzazione del centro della città che sfocia non di rado nel finto-storico. Mentre il volume I ripercorre vicende, fatti e interpretazioni del periodo trattato nell’area europea che subisce una transizione notevole, il volume II invece è articolato attraverso i concreti casi studio. Si tratta di interventi di edilizia residenziale sia sovvenzionata, sia finanziata privatamente e tutti vengono analizzati attraverso gli stessi parametri. Il volume II dovrebbe anche rafforzare le tesi espresse nel volume I, cioè dovrebbe fungere da espediente principale dell’argomentazione. Il volume III invece si allontana dal tema principale ma soltanto a prima vista. Esso tratta sostanzialmente non l’architettura fissa e costruita, bensì lo spazio interstiziale utilizzato per la mobilità o spostamento fisico delle persone. L’approccio poco ortodosso in quanto multidisciplinare inizia con la breve analisi di un quartiere residenziale amburghese che si definisce il primo quartiere carfree o autofrei cioè letteralmente libero dalle automobili. Una speciale clausola nel contratto d’affitto o di proprietà garantisce la rinuncia al mezzo di trasporto privato. La tappa successiva invece approfondisce i comportamenti della mobilità Berlinese negli anni 20 attraverso l’analisi dei movimenti del film muto di Walther Ruttmann del 1927, Berlin, die Sinfonie der Groβstadt. Dalla mobilità berlinese si fa un salto alle indagini sulla mobilità contemporanea di Roma eseguite dalla sociologa Angela Cattaneo della Sapienza Università di Roma. Il metodo applicato, definito anche biografico e sviluppato dal sociologo francese Daniel Bertaux, permette di constatare il cambiamento radicale della mobilità a Roma che è avvenuto nell’arco degli ultimi decenni. Infine ci si avvicina alle approfonditissime indagini dell’architetto e urbanista danese dell’Università di Aalborg Petter Næss, il quale è riuscito a dimostrare le complesse relazioni tra la progettazione residenziale e le modalità di spostamenti ovvero travel behaviour. Alla fine si arriva alle conclusioni che sono sotto gli occhi di tutti ma nonostante ciò invisibili. Nata come bene di lusso, ma divenuta in breve tempo oggetto di consumo di massa l’automobile è riuscita in pochi decenni a distruggere sia città, sia vasti paesaggi in maniera del tutto irreversibile. Ed essa continua a farlo quotidianamente

Consumer engagement through corporate social responsibility communication on social media: Evidence from Facebook and Instagram Bank Accounts

This paper investigates the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication through social media on consumer engagement, focusing on the top 15 European banks’ social media accounts. Drawing on stakeholder theory and customer engagement perspective, this study analyzes banks’ content posted on Facebook and Instagram from January 2021 to December 2022. The research employs multiple regression analysis to assess the relationship between CSR dimensions and consumer engagement. Results reveal that two CSR dimensions (employee support and diversity) positively arouse more engagement than non-CSR-related content. Oppositely, other CSR dimensions (environment, community support, product) provide negative or non-statistically significant results compared to non-CSR-related content. This empirical study, utilizing official data from Facebook and Instagram, contributes valuable insights into consumer engagement with CSR-related posts in the banking sector, addressing both scholarly and practical needs for understanding consumer social media engagement dynamics