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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1982

I.G. Smith

Despite the interest in manpower planning which grew considerably during the sixties and seventies, there has been continuing doubt about the degree of commitment at…

Abstract

Despite the interest in manpower planning which grew considerably during the sixties and seventies, there has been continuing doubt about the degree of commitment at organisational level and about the success of any government attempt at planning at national level. But the effective management, utilisation and planning of the human resource within the British economy remains a prime interest for all parties. Manpower planning may appear to be an ephemeral technique, but, if this is so, it is not because the problem it was directed towards has gone away.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Article
Publication date: 8 February 2016

Xiaoyi Wen

Collective bargaining (CB) in China is perceived as inadequate, thanks to the lack of trade union independence and representation. However, CB of the sweater industry in Wenling…

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Abstract

Purpose

Collective bargaining (CB) in China is perceived as inadequate, thanks to the lack of trade union independence and representation. However, CB of the sweater industry in Wenling, one of the world’s largest manufacturing centre, shows another tendency. Using Wenling as the case, the purpose of this paper is to explore whether a new form of CB is emerging in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a qualitative case study approach, and covers stakeholders, including the government, trade union, sweater association, workers and employers.

Findings

In China, trade unions are constrained by corporatism and therefore cannot become the effective agents of CB. However, the increased industrial conflicts could in effect push employers to become the engine of change. This paper finds that employers endeavour to use CB as a tool to stabilise employment relations and neutralise workers resistance. Consequently, a gradual transition in labour relations system is on the way, characterised by “disorderly resistance” to “orderly compliance” in the working class.

Research limitations/implications

The case industry may not be sufficient in drawing the details of CB in China, while it provides the trend of change.

Originality/value

Conventional wisdom on the Chinese labour relations and CB tends to ignore the employer’s perspective. This paper partially fills in the gap by offering CB and change of employment relations from the aspect of employers.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 38 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 21 July 2022

Giampaolo Montaletti, Mike Martin, Rob Wilson and David Jamieson

Policy entrepreneurs often experience thorny dilemmas, finding themselves between the “rock and a hard place” or, as the Italian equivalent idiom would have it, between the

Abstract

Policy entrepreneurs often experience thorny dilemmas, finding themselves between the “rock and a hard place” or, as the Italian equivalent idiom would have it, between the “hammer and the anvil.” Crisis and the associated problems that arise often bring changes in politics and policy in its wake, and this begs the question of what are the resources and assets required to operate successfully as a place-based public policy entrepreneur. The role of policy entrepreneurs has been studied over many years with one of the most influential theories being the multiple streams approach (MSA) originally devised in the 1980s which sought to counter perceptions of the random or “garbage can” nature of policymaking and implementation. MSA describes a more rational process where policy entrepreneurs shape “windows” of opportunity where streams of problem, policy, and politics are brought together to create innovative responses to situations in society. The authors explore these ideas through the lens of a longitudinal case study of Labor Market policy interventions (including the role of a personal budget system for education and training called “Dote”) in the Lombardy Region, Italy, using MSA as an analytical framework. This case suggests that the pressing need to move away from short-term structural responses to complex social issues is potentially addressed by an emerging approach for the parallel deployment of sociotechnical platform infrastructure resources and superstructure. Adoption of the approaches outlined here afford streaming opportunities on which policy entrepreneurs can dynamically bring the multiple streams of problem–policy–politics together across political cycles in a more persistent and sustainable way.

Details

Entrepreneurial Place Leadership: Negotiating the Entrepreneurial Landscape
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-029-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 June 2013

Andrew Fearne, José María García Álvarez‐Coque, Teresa López‐García Usach Mercedes and Sánchez García

This paper aims to analyse the capacity of rural and urban spaces to promote innovation in the agro‐food firms. The purpose is to determine if the rural/urban division affects the…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the capacity of rural and urban spaces to promote innovation in the agro‐food firms. The purpose is to determine if the rural/urban division affects the innovative behaviour of agriculture, food processing and food distribution firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Business data have been obtained for over 2,000 firms based in the Valencia region, Spain. Out of them, over 200 declared to have taken part in R&D&i activities, mainly in partnership with public support institutions. The database supplies data of micro and small enterprises, which have been typically underestimated in the Spanish Survey on Technological Innovation in Enterprises. The database also makes it possible to identify the main location of agro‐food business, and the territory is divided in Local Labour Systems (LLS). LLS were in turn classified as rural or urban according to alternative criteria (OECD, national legislation). A logit model has been used in the analyses.

Findings

The location of enterprises according to the rural/urban divide does not appear relevant concerning innovation, although businesses orientated to the primary sector seem less innovative. Co‐op businesses appear to be more innovative.

Originality/value

The paper offers an approach of innovation in the agro‐food traditionally considered as a non‐innovative system. It explores how territory affects innovation using data from firms.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 51 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Maria Della Lucia and Giovanna Segre

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of intersectoriality within the cultural, creative and tourism industries in Italian local development.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of intersectoriality within the cultural, creative and tourism industries in Italian local development.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design builds on the literature on culture-led development and adapts the established body of empirical research on industrial districts to tourism and cultural development. The quantitative analysis of intersectoral specialization and the clustering of cultural, creative and tourism industries in Italian local labour systems (LLSs) combines specialization indexes with principal component analysis and cluster analysis.

Findings

About 50 per cent of Italian LLSs specialize in the economy of culture and tourism, mostly in material culture, although tourism has the highest level of specialization. There are three main patterns of agglomeration and clustering. The largest cluster is that of the cultural heritage and content and information industries, which coincides with the systems of medium-sized and large cities, followed by systems of tourism monoculture. The smallest is made up of material culture, typically made-in-Italy sectors. The tourism and material culture industries are monocultures – where tourism agglomerates, but material culture does not.

Research limitations/implications

The analytical approach is quantitative and based on Istat’s Industry and Trade (2012) data set. Further studies are needed on the interaction between agglomerated specialized industries.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the theoretical and political debate on the value generation and innovation potential of culture and creativity, and bridges the knowledge domains of local development and managerial studies. Novel statistical evidence on intersectoral specialization and the clustering of the cultural, creative and tourism sectors in Italy at the inter-municipal level is provided. This study helps to identify an Italian model of the economy of culture and tourism.

Details

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6182

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 November 2020

Beke Vogelsang and Matthias Pilz

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the qualification measures of 12 German multi-national companies (MNCs), all of which are present in China, India and Mexico. In…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the qualification measures of 12 German multi-national companies (MNCs), all of which are present in China, India and Mexico. In particular, the transfer of dual initial training practices and further training measures are investigated. It examines the impact consistent training strategies across national borders have emerged in German companies or local arrangements have developed despite identical internal influencing factors.

Design/methodology/approach

Because of its design, the focus is on the external factors that influence the companies’ training measures. However, an exploratory approach was followed. To pursue the research question face-to-face expert interviews were conducted with 46 training managers in 12 active companies in all 3 countries. The interviews were completely transcribed and evaluated using qualitative methods.

Findings

The analysis shows that it is not internal company factors but country-specific contextual factors that influence training measures and that companies cannot act in the same way worldwide.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on 12 MNC and only analyses the blue-collar area. Therefore, it would have to be evaluated whether a similar analysis would result from a survey of other companies in different sectors or whether the differences in terms of training and further training measures would then be even greater.

Practical implications

The study supports the internationalization strategies of MNC by providing first-hand empirical results concerning recruitment and training of blue colour workers on an intermediate skill level. It gives evidence on the need of national adaptation in the process of transferring training cultures from countries of origin into the host countries. More attention must, therefore, be paid to external factors when developing and implementing training measures.

Social implications

The economic development in many countries includes an expansion of foreign investments. MNC provides employment and income for workers and their families. However, successful foreign investments also include sustainable recruitment and training strategies of the local workforce. The results of the study support policymakers to guide and support foreign companies to develop successful Human Resource Management strategies in the host countries.

Originality/value

This paper is original because due to the research design the internal factors are kept largely constant and the external influencing factors are singularly focused in detail. Therefore, this procedure makes it possible to investigate whether consistency training strategies across national borders have emerged in German companies or local arrangements have developed despite identical internal influencing factors.

Details

European Journal of Training and Development, vol. 45 no. 4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-9012

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 December 2021

Stefano Amato, Valentina Pieroni, Nicola Lattanzi and Giampaolo Vitali

A burgeoning body of evidence points out the importance of spatial proximity in influencing firm efficiency besides internal characteristics. Nevertheless, the family status of…

Abstract

Purpose

A burgeoning body of evidence points out the importance of spatial proximity in influencing firm efficiency besides internal characteristics. Nevertheless, the family status of the firm has been traditionally overlooked in that debate. Therefore, this study aims to investigate productivity spillovers stemming from the geographical closeness to innovators and family firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Using secondary data on Italian technology-intensive manufacturing firms, the paper exploits spatial econometric models to estimate productivity spillovers across firms.

Findings

As regards the presence of spatial dependence, this study reveals that a firm's level of efficiency and productivity is influenced by that of nearby firms. Specifically, three main results emerge. First, spatial proximity to innovators is beneficial for the productivity of neighbouring firms. Second, closeness to family firms is a source of negative externalities for spatially proximate firms. However, and this is the third result, the adverse effect vanishes when the nearby family firms are also innovators.

Research limitations/implications

As the study relies on cross-sectional data, future research should explore productivity spillovers in a longitudinal setting. Additionally, the channels through which productivity spillovers occur should be measured.

Practical implications

The study highlights the importance of co-location for public policy initiatives to strengthen the competitiveness of firms and, indirectly, that of localities and regions. Moreover, the findings show the crucial role of innovation in mitigating the productivity gap between family and non-family firms.

Social implications

Notwithstanding the advent of the digital era, spatial proximity and localized social relationships are still a relevant factor affecting firms' performance.

Originality/value

By exploring the role of family firms in influencing the advantages of geographical proximity, this study contributes to the growing efforts to explore family enterprises across spatial settings.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 29 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 May 2022

Edoardo Baldoni, Lisa De Propris and Dimitri Storai

This paper aims to analyse to what extent Italian industrial districts (IDs), with their traditional manufacturing specialization, experimented a territorial servitisation process…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse to what extent Italian industrial districts (IDs), with their traditional manufacturing specialization, experimented a territorial servitisation process in terms of spread of specifically professional and technological knowledge-intensive business services’ activities over the period 2012–2018.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper articulates knowledge-intensive business services activities in two types, technological knowledge-intensive business services and professional knowledge-intensive business services. It tracks their growth and their co-location with manufacturing sectors in Italian IDs by means of firm employment data and location quotients. Firm employment data is extracted from Statistical Archive of Active firms (ASIA) data set provided by Italian National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT). ASIA data is matched with ISTAT territorial identification of Italian local labour systems and IDs.

Findings

In 2018, Italian IDs featured, next to their traditional over-specialisation in manufacturing activities, an under-specialisation in knowledge-intensive business services’ activities. Nevertheless, the dynamic analysis carried out over the period 2012–2018 shows that IDs firm employment in technological knowledge-intensive business services and professional knowledge-intensive business services grew at a higher rate than the national average.

Originality/value

The novelty of this paper is to distinguish between technological knowledge-intensive business services and professional knowledge-intensive business services and to measure the presence and the growth of these two different types of knowledge-intensive business services in Italian IDs.

Details

Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal , vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 July 2023

Michele Costa and Flavio Delbono

This paper aims to investigate the impact of cooperative firms on the patterns of regional economic resilience in Italy from 2008 to 2019.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the impact of cooperative firms on the patterns of regional economic resilience in Italy from 2008 to 2019.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses regional statistics to compute indices of resilience for both real GDP per capita and employment during both recovery and resistance periods. By means of a linear model, the authors investigate the relationships between indices of resilience and the cooperative presence, while controlling for a set of demographic, social and economic variables.

Findings

This study shows that during (and after) recessions such regional indices exhibit very different patterns, with notably poorer performance observed in Southern regions compared to the rest of the country. Furthermore, this study illustrates that the size of the cooperative employment improves the overall resilience of regional employment, especially during recovery periods.

Social implications

The findings hint at policies enhancing the strength and scope of the cooperative movement as a driver of territorial resilience.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in relating territorial resilience and the presence of a type of companies. This study performs the analysis at the regional level regarding cooperative enterprises. The new findings hint at some policies enhancing the strength and scope of the cooperative movement.

Details

Social Enterprise Journal, vol. 19 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-8614

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 April 2022

Rafael Boix-Domenech, Francesco Capone and Vittorio Galletto

This paper aims to test the existence of the so-called industrial district effect on innovation (iMID effect) in Spain and Italy and to compare the intensity of this effect…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to test the existence of the so-called industrial district effect on innovation (iMID effect) in Spain and Italy and to compare the intensity of this effect between both countries. There is previous evidence of this effect for Spain, although, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it has never been measured for Italy.

Design/methodology/approach

Innovation intensity by local production system is measured using patents per million employees and analysed using the mean, the median, 3D maps and statistical tests.

Findings

Industrial districts generate between a third and a quarter of all technological innovations in Spain and Italy. The evidence about the district effect in innovation in Spain is consistent with previous studies. The novelty is that there is also evidence of this effect for Italy and its intensity is higher than for Spain. Almost one-half of the industrial districts fit in the most innovative quartile of local production systems, and they are located in the most innovative part of each country.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of this study include minor database issues. Implications include new focus on the general relevance of industrial districts as highly innovative local production systems and top innovators.

Practical implications

Reorientation of territorial and innovation policies.

Social implications

Effect on development and well-being through technical progress.

Originality/value

This article provides, for the first time, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, a measurement of the industrial district effect on innovation in Italy. The paper compares the results between Spain and Italy and allows for generalization of previous evidence, concluding that highly innovative industrial districts are not “rare diamonds”, revealing as an alternative and an extraordinarily powerful place-based innovation model.

Details

Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal , vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

Keywords

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