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One of the consequences of demographic change is a possible decrease in the European supply of graduates. Europe has to fill the gap in young talented workers. The best way to attract young workers from developing countries (which do not have the infrastructure to provide all their qualified youngsters with the needed human capital) is through the internationalization of higher education in Europe. This challenge is intimately related to that of increasing intra-European mobility. Internationalization is necessary because of the requirements of European labour market and the need to increase European innovation capacity. However, Europe is not doing enough well with respect to internationalization. Policy conclusions are drawn.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on consumers’ reactions to cross-border acquisitions (CBA) by exploring the role of consumer perceptions of the psychic distance between the country of the acquirer and that of the target firm when the acquiring corporation has a good or poor reputation.

A 2×2 experimental design which manipulated psychic distance and acquirer’s corporate reputation was conducted in Italy. The study considers an Italian food target firm and compares four foreign acquiring firms with different combinations of corporate reputation (good/poor) and psychic distance to Italy (small/large).

The authors found that the degree of psychic distance between the countries of the acquiring and targeted firms was inversely related to Italian consumers’ intentions to repurchase the products of the post-acquisition target, and unrelated to the acquirer’s corporate reputation.

This is the first study focusing on psychic distance in the context of CBA, especially from the perspective of consumer behavior, which can help to better understand certain negative reactions toward the acquisition of a business.

The sustainability of the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) program represents the most challenging aspect for most of the organizations dealing with this methodology. In this scenario, the purpose of this paper is the description of the AMSE (which stands for Assessment, Monitoring, Sustainability, Expansion) Model, that represents a leading-edge approach to implement an effective LSS deployment on a permanent basis, by means of a structured roadmap.

The AMSE roadmap is made of four operating phases – Assessment, Monitoring, Sustainability, Expansion – it is a Model to govern the LSS deployment and to maximize both operative and economical results on a long-term basis.

One of the main problems of LSS programs is their sustainability (sustainability of projects and the overall program) over time; the AMSE Model allows the deployment of an LSS Governance Structure with a clear definition of tasks; this model can be effectively applied both to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and global companies, regardless of the sector.

Both SMEs and global corporations could benefit from applying the AMSE in terms of operational efficiency, culture improvement and people engagement.

The AMSE Model represents an innovative approach for sustaining a continuous improvement culture in the organizations over time, by defining four steps (Assessment, Monitoring, Sustainability, Expansion), divided into detailed tasks, each of which is characterized by its own specific tools.

This paper aims to identify key factors that impact operating room (OR) utilization and evaluate different scenarios on OR performance.

Five months of data were collected. stepwise regression and best subset models were used to select factors and generate regression model for OR utilization. We further used simulation to test the influence of case duration mean, case duration variation, scheduled utilization and first-case delay on OR utilization, OR cost inefficiency and patient wait time on the day of surgery.

The scheduled utilization, case cancellation and add-on cases were the most important factors identified in all models. The larger the case duration variation, the lower the OR cost efficiency and utilization, the longer the patient wait time. First-case delay and turnover times are not critical in OR utilization or cost efficiency.

OR management should focus on creating an effective way to manage case cancellation and add-on policy to tackle the change on the day of surgery. In addition, several weeks before the surgery, the management needs to consider how to schedule cases to fit the allocated OR time.

In complementary of current OR management, this research assists OR management by identifying the factors that would result in the most significant improvement on OR utilization.

This paper aims to present and summarise the arguments for and against the ISO 18404 standard and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of implementing it.

A qualitative interview approach was utilised by interviewing a panel of leading academics and practitioners familiar with Lean Six Sigma.

The results indicate that Lean Six Sigma professionals have conflicting opinions on ISO 18404. An overwhelming majority of the panel questioned the “quality” of the standard and whether it is “fit for purpose”, while others see the advantages of a common standard in helping continuous improvement deployment.

As the standard has not been widely adopted, there were limited examples on ISO 18404 discussion in the literature. Much of the current literature focuses on the theoretical application of the standard, with sparse practical examples providing case study deployment. Also, the interviews were short and at a high level. There is an opportunity for further study and analysis. It was difficult to find qualified interviewees who were familiar with the standard. A very real constraint when conducting research into ISO 18404 is to obtain a balanced view of the standard from those who have a vested interest in its continuation and evolution, or not.

The paper provides a resource for people to obtain insight into the value or non-value add of a standard in Lean Six Sigma and the appropriate details of such a standard. These results can form the basis of a case for the implementation of the standard for those organisations currently trying to decide whether to implement it or not.

The economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant consequences on the activities of companies worldwide. This study aims to unveil how open innovation fostered business model innovation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) during the pandemic.

The research adopts a qualitative approach, involving a multiple case study methodology, and focusses on six SMEs operating in various traditional sectors.

The findings highlight the impact of the external stimulus, COVID-19, on business model innovation and the key role of open innovation management in pursuing the business model innovation, which may also involve a digital transformation.

While some studies have examined how the pandemic has fostered business model transformation, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study analysing the pivotal role of open innovation in driving business model innovation during challenging times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the qualitative and quantitative knowledge on ultrafine particles in air near a steel making plant located in an Italian site.

A combination of experimental methodologies was used for the online and offline monitoring and chemical characterization of particulate matter (PM) in the air near the plant. Two unfiltered twin-sampling systems were adopted, working when the plant was on/off. All condensed air samples were submitted to Ion Chromatography analysis. The same samples were submitted to acid digestion before Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy Analysis. Continuous daily PM10 samples were collected to characterize ambient air. PM10 samples were also analysed to estimate metals content. The PM size distribution was achieved by continuous online monitoring. The adopted ultrafine particulate monitor classifies particles in the range 20-200 nm. The overall size distribution was inferred from an Optical Particulate Counter able to classify particles in the range 0.3-10 µm.

The obtained results show that no causal relationship can be found between the measurements of anions and metal in the air near the plant under investigation and the presence of the steel making plant. The trend in emissions of micro-particles was found quite characteristic of similar semi-urban areas.

The paper demonstrates that a steel making plant adopting best available techniques could have a local impact compatible with the surrounding environment.