Search results

Innovation ecosystems (IEs) have attracted the attention of policymakers and researchers because of their potential to positively affect territories, creating shared value. However, due to the fragmentation of IEs, how this happens in different IEs has been explored only partially. This research aims to bridge this gap, aiming to support policymakers in understanding how to foster shared value in diverse IEs.

The paper identifies, based on the literature, two “drivers of aggregation” of IE's actors as key dimensions characterizing shared value in IEs, namely physical proximity and dominant issue. If these are combined, three archetypes emerge: Hub- and Chain-Driven, Place-Driven, Competence- and Issue-Driven IEs.Then, elements useful for understanding shared value creation in these archetypes are framed and studied in real cases.

Results reveal that aggregation drivers affect shared value creation, which differ among archetypes: in Competence- and Issue-Driven IEs alignment is challenged by the low physical proximity, which in Place-Driven IEs is high, but not enough to grant shared value; in Hub- and Chain-Driven IEs, the hub is the orchestrator, representing both a driver and a risk.

Differences in shared value creation processes relate to the set-up of the IE, which has relevant implications for policy definition. In Competence- and Issue-Driven IEs, policies at diverse levels align in funding and promoting the IE; in Place-Driven IEs, policies support anchors' development on-site; in Hub- and Chain-Driven IEs, policies, sometimes absent, should foster partnerships for projects for the territory, IE's enlargement and resilience.

The purpose of this paper is to perform a critical analysis of the relationship between small- and medium-sized social enterprises (SMSEs) and banks. Based on the conceptual framework for the analysis of SME’s credit availability developed by Berger and Udell (2006), this study aims to contribute to the current debate in two ways: first, outlining the characteristics of the lending technologies currently used by banks and financial institutions to evaluate SMSEs when they apply for credit; and second, discussing, based on the results of the empirical analysis, the coherence of these systems from the social ecosystem perspective and identifying areas for possible improvement.

The paper develops a conceptual framework based on the model proposed by Berger and Udell (2006), which defines the characteristics of lending technologies that banks use to evaluate SMEs, and applies it to the case of SMSEs. To study the interplay of these lending technologies, the empirical analysis is based on a case study of five Italian banks. Data are collected from multiple sources to capture key dimensions of the problems analyzed.

The paper provides empirical insight about the relationship between SMSEs and banks. The Italian case shows that the current lending infrastructure must be revised to support SMSE credit availability, and government policies affect the national financial institution structure. The relationship between SMSEs and Italian banks remains underdeveloped.

The research supports the scaling up of social business.

This paper fulfills an identified need to study how social enterprises credit access can be enabled.

Measuring shared value (SV) created in innovation ecosystems (IEs) is increasingly relevant but complex, given the multidimensional and multiactor nature of both concepts, which challenges traditional performance measurement systems (PMSs). Moving from this gap, the authors propose an integrated approach to extend the balanced scorecard (BSC) for measuring and monitoring SV creation at IE level.

The proposed approach combines the most recent contributions on PMS in IEs and SV to define perspectives and dimensions that are better suited to deal with the nature of both IEs and SV. The approach is also applied to the real case (Alpha) of an Italian IE through a step wise method. Starting from the IE vision, the authors identify in the strategy map the specific objectives related to each perspective/dimension combination and then associate a performance indicator with each objective.

The resulting SV BSC is composed of indicators interconnected along different perspectives and dimensions. The application of the approach to the real case proves its feasibility and highlights characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the SV BSC when used at IE level. The authors also provide guidelines for its application to other IEs.

The study contributes to the research on PMS by introducing and applying to a real case an integrated approach to assess SV in IEs, overcoming the shortcomings of PMS framed for single firms. It can be of interest for both researchers in the field of ecosystems value creation and practitioners managing or promoting such complex structures.

Although innovation ecosystems (IEs) are generally considered capable of creating shared value (SV), this potentiality has often been taken for granted and not deeply analysed, yet. As a result, in the literature, there is not a framework that defines the process of SV creation in IEs or which aspects should be considered for understanding it. Moving from these considerations, this paper aims to propose a conceptual model of how IEs can create SV, identifying the main building blocks of the process and the aspects that characterize these building blocks.

The authors reviewed the literature on IEs and value creation over the last 15 years, by structurally analysing 120 articles. On the basis of such review, the authors identified main dimensions of analysis focusing on the conceptualization of SV in IEs.

First, the authors developed a conceptual model relying on a process-based logic and framing the SV creation in terms of inputs, here intended as four key characteristics (actors, structure, governance and relations), internal processes (strategies and internal mechanisms) and outputs (the value created). Second, each element of value creation is explored, highlighting the main evidence emerging from prior studies in connection to each block.

This paper drives the identification of some relevant relationships that connect the characteristics of the IEs, the strategies and the internal mechanisms to the output of the process, i.e. the SV created.

This paper aims to provide a critical assessment of existing links between risk management systems (RMS) and performance management systems (PMS) through a general review of the literature.

The research approach consists of a literature review, aimed at highlighting the “points of contact” between RMS and PMS along three main dimensions: scope of the system, measurement and ownership.

Key papers and books published in the field are examined. Based on this review, an assessment of similarities and potential synergies between RMS and PMS is offered. In addition, possible avenues for future research are discussed.

The paper provides managers with useful insights on pros and cons of integrating RMS and PMS. It highlights possible instruments and organizational arrangements that could be exploited by practitioners to connect the two systems and discusses the implications of different possible configurations.

Whilst the professional literature is loaded with illustrations of RMS and PMS as “integrated” solutions, this issue has been only partially addressed by the academic literature that generally focuses on one of the two systems. Hence, the study overall contributes to enrich the knowledge of the relationship between performance and risk management by mapping how and where the two systems are linked.

This paper aims to propose a model, to operationalize the idea of enterprise risk management (ERM), relying on the concept of capabilities. The proposed model, labelled “Spring model”, is specifically tailored to the characteristics of project-based organisations, where risk is to be managed transversally to different organizational levels (enterprise, project portfolio, functions, projects).

A case study methodology is used to exemplify the functioning of the proposed model and display the suitability of the concept of capabilities, as means whereby companies can manage their risk. Data were collected from different sources over a time frame of three years: semi-structured interviews, official documents and presentations, archives, direct observation and internal document usually not available to the public.

The “Spring model” explains how risk can impact different organizational levels (enterprise, project portfolio, functions, projects), and how risk can be effectively managed, at different organizational levels, through the organization's capabilities.

The paper gives concrete guidance on the operational elements that project-based organisations should consider for managing risks in a comprehensive and integrated way and discusses potential analysis/insights that could be derived embracing the capability perspective. The empirical testing, performed in a leading oil and gas company, provides an example of its functioning.

The paper represents an attempt to apply ERM concepts and tools to operations, making a connection between research in corporate governance and finance, where the ERM concept originated, and research in project management, where attention of researchers tended to concentrate on specific types of risk management practices.

The paper aims to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in overcoming the difficulties they encounter in initiating sustainability reporting, proposing a “general” process for identifying a standard set of key sustainability indicators, that is specifically tailored on SMEs characteristics.

The paper moves from the analysis of the existing international frameworks for sustainability reporting, and it discusses the main motivations whereby they are hardly applicable for SMEs. Then, it proposes a theoretical approach, which derives the set of key sustainability indicators starting from GRI, but explicitly considering SMEs specificities.

The paper presents and discusses the application of the proposed approach to a network of Italian steel SMEs.

The approach proposed can support SMEs to face the problems they face in implementing sustainability reporting (resource and capability constraints and lack of operative instruments to support them), helping them to derive financial benefits arising from more sustainable choices.

Contrary to most existing international reporting guidance, this work does not seek to identify a set of general purpose key sustainability indicators (KSIs). Instead, the paper sets out a “general” process for obtaining a standard set of KSIs for use by any promoting organisation, whether a public administration seeking to reinforce sustainability strategies, or a trade association looking to support proactive SMEs.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the trajectory of an institutional change in a public organisation, this study explores the role of organisational mediators – i.e. middle managers involved in the enactment of change projects - to translate leaders’ entrepreneurial attempts of modernisation.

Enlightened by an institutional perspective, the research is carried out through a single case study in a major Italian Court House. The empirical evidence relies on various sources of information: archival data, documentation, observation and 42 face-to-face interviews.

The research outlines the heterogeneity of mediators’ approaches and the diverse effectiveness in translating leaders’ ideas. Three approaches are evidenced: instrumental leader-driven, conformant leader-driven, rhetorical individual-driven. These archtypes are compared in term of characteristics and contribution to mediate the symbolic realm of new ideas and the technical realm of everyday working activities.

The identification of the importance and characteristics of organisational mediators provide insights for leaders in choosing the most appropriate figures to carry out change projects.

This paper highlights the importance of more operational figures (mediators), and their characteristics, in pursuing change in the public sector. Mediators become essential organisational translators to bridge the gap between strategic leaders ideas and employees working reality.

This chapter aims to understand how partnerships and networks can aid the development and growth of organizations whose goal is to foster social inclusion along the agro-food supply chain, with particular reference to the social entrepreneurship sector.

The chapter draws on a framework proposed by Newth and Woods (2014) to identify the main drivers of resistance to the development of social entrepreneurship. The empirical evidence is based on a single case, involving an Italian social enterprise, Semi di Libertà, which produces high-quality artisan beer. Case material included an analysis of organization documents and interviews with key actors.

The case study shows how Semi di Libertà faced different types of resistance, related to formal and informal institutions and market drivers, and leveraged partnerships with other actors in the ecosystem. Some of these partnerships were planned a priori to overcome specific problems (e.g., the Prison’s Authority, Mastri Birrai). Other partnerships were developed “by chance” (e.g., “peer” associations) but turned out to be particularly important to deal with the above resistances.

The case study methodology prevents the authors from generalizing too far past the obtained results. However, key elements from the case, such as the relevance of “spontaneous” partnerships and those with “peer” organizations, could be taken into account for similar initiatives in different contexts.

Recent literature has highlighted the relevance of partnerships in scaling social enterprises but has not explored the dynamics whereby these partnerships are created and developed. This chapter provides some preliminary evidence of how partnerships can be used to overcome the resistance limiting the growth of social entrepreneurship and the sustainability of socially inclusive initiatives.

To describe the main characteristics of Internal Audit Departments in six Italian companies and investigate the influence of enacted regulations on their development.

The research has been carried out through a multiple case study, which compared the Internal Audit Departments of six Italian companies, gathering evidence by interviews with chief internal auditors, by obtaining examples of internal audit reports, policy documents and corporate briefing notes.

The range of situations considered highlighted the diversity in Internal Audit Department characteristics, confirming the relevance of institutional pressures, but also providing evidence of the influence of additional elements in their development.

Results provided by this research cannot be regarded as generally applicable or generalizable, although this study should contribute to the development of a deeper understanding of the characteristics of Internal Audit Departments.

This paper highlights some elements which can influence the development of Internal Audit Department characteristics, with a focus on value added activities.

This paper has referred to institutional theory to examine the development of Internal Audit Departments and provides a valuable framework for future research. Further it provides evidence of different structural characteristics and factors which can influence companies' choices in the development and support of their Internal Audit Departments.