1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910454766303321

Autore

Moe Nelson <1961->

Titolo

The view from Vesuvius [[electronic resource] ] : Italian culture and the southern question / / Nelson Moe

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley, Calif., : University of California Press, c2002

ISBN

0-520-93982-4

1-59734-978-X

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (369 p.)

Collana

Studies on the history of society and culture ; ; 46

Disciplina

945/.708

Soggetti

Public opinion - Italy, Northern

Stereotypes (Social psychology) - Italy

Electronic books.

Italy, Southern Civilization Public opinion

Italy, Southern Social conditions 19th century Public opinion

Italy, Southern Politics and government 19th century Public opinion

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 301-335) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: How Did Southern Italy Become "the South"? -- I. Imagining the South. 1750-1850 -- II. Representing the South in the Risorgimento. 1825-1861 -- III. Representing the South in Postunification Italy. 1870-1885 -- Conclusion: What the South Enables Us to Say -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

The vexed relationship between the two parts of Italy, often referred to as the Southern Question, has shaped that nation's political, social, and cultural life throughout the twentieth century. But how did southern Italy become "the south," a place and people seen as different from and inferior to the rest of the nation? Writing at the rich juncture of literature, history, and cultural theory, Nelson Moe explores how Italy's Mezzogiorno became both backward and picturesque, an alternately troubling and fascinating borderland between Europe and its others. This finely crafted book shows that the Southern Question is far from just an Italian issue, for its origins are deeply connected to the formation of European cultural identity between the mid-eighteenth



and late nineteenth centuries. Moe examines an exciting range of unfamiliar texts and visual representations including travel writing, political discourse, literary texts, and etchings to illuminate the imaginative geography that shaped the divide between north and south. His narrative moves from a broad examination of the representation of the south in European culture to close readings of the literary works of Leopardi and Giovanni Verga. This groundbreaking investigation into the origins of the modern vision of the Mezzogiorno is made all the more urgent by the emergence of separatism in Italy in the 1990's.

2.

Record Nr.

UNISA996212480803316

Autore

McCabe Steven

Titolo

Benchmarking in construction [[electronic resource] /] / Steven McCabe

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Malden, Mass., : Blackwell Science, 2001

ISBN

1-282-34173-1

9786612341731

0-470-69605-2

0-470-69530-7

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (306 p.)

Disciplina

690.068

690.0685

Soggetti

Building - Quality control

Benchmarking (Management)

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 272-276) and index.

Nota di contenuto

BENCHMARKING IN CONSTRUCTION; Contents; Foreword; Preface; Acknowledgements; Chapter 1 Introduction; 1.1 What reading this book will assist you to do; 1.2 People - the core concept of benchmarking for best practice; 1.3 Understanding the importance of benchmarking - a personal perspective; 1.4 Learning from the best: the Japanese construction industry; 1.5 Rethinking Construction: a catalyst for change in British construction?; 1.6 The Construction Best Practice



Programme; 1.6.1 The key performance indicators; 1.7 A brief outline of subsequent chapters

Chapter 2 Getting to Grips with the ConceptsObjectives; 2.1 Establishing the principle of benchmarking for best practice; 2.2 Defining benchmarking and best practice; 2.3 Types of benchmarking; 2.3.1 Internal benchmarking; 2.3.2 Competitive benchmarking; 2.3.3 Functional or generic benchmarking; 2.4 The Rank Xerox story; 2.4.1 What did Rank Xerox do?; 2.4.2 Summarising the Rank Xerox approach; 2.5 Conclusion; Summay; Chapter 3 What is TQM and its Importance to Benchmarking?; Objectives; 3.1 Defining TQM; 3.2 The origins of TQM - the influence of Deming (1900-1993) and Juran (1904)

3.2.1 SPC (Statistical Process Control) - the cornerstone of Deming's philosophy3.2.2 Juran's quality trilogy; 3.3 The Toyota story - an early example of benchmarking; 3.4 The development of TQM in the West; 3.4.1 The move from inspection and quality control to quality assurance and TQM; 3.5 Achieving customer delight - the importance of recognising people as a key component of TQM; Summary; Chapter 4 Facilitating a Change in Organisational Culture; Objectives; 4.1 Organisational culture; 4.1.1 What is organisational culture?; 4.2 Senior management's role in creating cultural change

4.2.1 What senior managers in construction organisations can do to create culture change4.3 The role of middle managers and change agents; 4.4 'Getting the troops on board'; 4.4.1 Motivation of people; 4.4.2 Using teamwork in cultural change; 4.4.3 Types of team; 4.4.4 Picking the right members for a successful team; 4.4.5 Development of the team; 4.5 The role of learning organisations in TQM and benchmarking; 4.6 Methods of organisational learning; Summary; Chapter 5 The Use of Critical Success Factors, Processes and Systems in Benchmarking; Objectives; 5.1 Where to start from

5.2 Critical success factors and key performance indicators5.2.1 Critical success factors; 5.2.2 Key performance indicators; 5.3 The importance of understanding processes; 5.4 Process mapping: 'the metaphor of the cup of tea'; 5.5 Quality systems and procedures; 5.5.1 The use of quality systems in continuous improvement; Summary; Chapter 6 Benchmarking Customer Satisfaction; Objectives; 6.1 The paradigm shift in customer value strategy; 6.2 The benefits of retaining customers; 6.3 Factors that must be considered when measuring customer satisfaction

6.4 A selection of models that can be used to carry out benchmarking of customer satisfaction

Sommario/riassunto

This is the first post-Egan book to look at benchmarking and KPIs (key performance indicators) in the construction industry.  Benchmarking is one of the key management techniques the construction industry now needs to adopt if it is to meet challenging new efficiency and productivity targets as well as clients' demands for best value. Contracts are increasingly being awarded only to contractors who can demonstrate the lean construction practices that come with benchmarking.  This authoritative and accessible book:  * clarifies the thinking behind benchmarking and why firms must now a