Chiara Frigerio

The loess-paleosol sequence at Monte Netto: a record of climate change in the Upper Pleistocene of the central Po Plain, northern Italy

PurposeAt the northern fringe of the Po Plain (northern Italy), several isolated hills exist, corresponding to the top of Late Quaternary anticlines. These hills were thoroughly surveyed for their soils and surficial geology, furnishing detailed archives of the palaeoenvironmental evolution of the area. A new, thick and complex loess-paleosol sequence, resting upon fluvial/fluvioglacial deposits, exposed in a quarry at the top of the Monte Netto hill was studied in detail to elucidate its significance.Materials and methodsHighly deformed fluvial and fluvioglacial deposits, probably of Middle Pleistocene age, are exposed in a clay pit at Monte Netto, underneath a 2- to 4-m-thick loess-paleosol sequence. A geopedological, sedimentological and micropedological investigation of the sequence shows a distinctive difference between the B horizons forming the sequence, while luminescence and radiocarbon age determinations and the occurrence of Palaeolithic lithic assemblages elucidate the chronology of the sequence.Results and discussionThe pedosedimentary sequence consists of several loess layers showing different degrees of alteration; loess deposition and weathering occurred, according to optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and AMS-14C dating as well as archaeological materials, during the Upper Pleistocene. The lower part of the section consists of strongly weathered colluvial sediments overlying fluvial and fluvioglacial sediments. A tentative model of the exposed profiles involves the burial of the anticline, which forms the core of the hill, by loess strata since Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 4 and their subsequent weathering (and truncation) during subsequent interstadials. The degree of weathering of buried B horizons increases from the top of the sequence toward the bottom, suggesting a progressive decrease in the intensity of pedogenesis. Finally, the highly rubified paleosol at the top of the hill is regarded as a buried polygenetic soil or a vetusol, developed near the surface since the Middle Pleistocene.ConclusionsThe palaeopedological, geochronological and geoarchaeological analyses permit to define the phases and steps of development of the Monte Netto pedosedimentary sequence; the lower part of the sequence is dated to the Mid-Pleistocene, whereas loess accumulation occurred between MIS 4 and MIS 2. Moreover, analyses help to clarify the climatic and environmental context of alternating glacial and interstadial phases, during which the sediments where deposited, deformed and weathered.

Ambidexterity in Service Organizations: Reference Models from the Banking Industry

This paper reviews the literature on ambidexterity in service organizations with a specific focus on the banking industry. We identify three key, cross-unit bank processes: governance (bank headquarters), sales (branch processes) and operations (ICT and facilities to support local (branch) and inter-unit (headquarters-to-branch) tasks). We suggest a framework that incorporates three main “reference models”, from an organizational design perspective. Model 1 (exploitative model) applies when the banks headquarters work to formalize branch sales processes supported by operations processes. Model 2 (exploratory model) applies when the banks headquarters allows flexibility in branch sales processes and uses operations processes to decentralize tasks. Model 3 (ambidextrous model) applies when a branch incorporates the characteristics of Models 1 and 2 simultaneously. We ground our claims using fieldwork conducted in 2004–2005 that involved a number of major Italian banks. We show that while large organizations, such as banks, base their ambidextrous innovation on organizational design, contextual elements such as trust and commitment, and management styles and leadership play a role in dealing with efficiency-oriented vs. flexibility-oriented tasks within the same bank branch.

Managing knowledge in large-scale virtual projects: a community-based approach

In this paper we focus on the development of virtual communities of practice (V-CoP) in large-scale projects. We identify a literature gap in the lack of research on V-CoP in the project management literature and we conduct a study of a large-scale ES (Enterprise System) implementation to explore how V-CoP emerge in a globally distributed environment. We found that management can encourage the formation of V-CoP if, along with the creation of virtual project teams they promote informal interaction between the team members, encourage commitment, and put together “the right mix of people.�? We conclude suggesting avenues for further research on knowledge-intensive projects that consist of multiple (virtual) communities of practice

The Light and Dark Side of the Black Box: Sensor-based Technology in the Automotive Industry

Sensor-based technologies are increasingly integrated into diverse aspects of our everyday lives. Despite the importance of understanding how these technologies are adopted and exploited by businesses and consumers, the information systems (IS) community has thus far devoted relatively little attention to the topic. Accordingly, our objective in this paper is to foster an exploration of the issue amongst IS scholars by focusing on the emergent use of sensor-based technologies in the automotive insurance industry. Insurance providers are increasingly turning to such technologies to gain competitive advantage around risk assessment and behavior-based pricing. To investigate this phenomenon, we consider the experiences of two organizations operating distinct national contexts – Progressive Insurance (US) and Generali (Italy). These two insurance providers have been first movers in the adoption of sensorbased technologies for risk assessment and policy pricing. First, we highlight the key similarities and differences between the cases with regard to the technologies adopted, business models pursued, and anticipated benefits and pitfalls for the companies and their consumers. Second, in a more holistic way we discuss the implications and unintended consequences of sensor-based technologies in the automotive insurance industry. We formulate several research questions that will provide opportunities and encourage more research in this emerging area of study.

Promoting Learning Practices: Moving Towards Innovation

As many authors have stated, the importance of organizational learning is fundamental in order to gain competitive advantage and survive in a turbulent environment. Many learning models have been studied in recent years. They have been used to analyze practices or aspects of learning in many industries. This paper aims to develop a particular framework in order to understand the determinants for organizational learning, depending on the firm’s general approach towards information and knowledge management. The theoretical framework is derived from Blackler and McDonald’s study, which focused on organizational learning approaches, and from Duncan and Weiss’s work, which studied attitudes towards knowledge management. This is applied to a particular context characterized by a high level of bureaucracy: the Italian banking industry. In particular, the study is conducted on a sample of 54 banks. The empirical analysis is carried out through questionnaires and interviews. Data is analyzed using statistical analysis. Results are shown and empirical implications are discussed, also in order to explain the reasons for the current situation.