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This paper aims to analyse stakeholder sentiment about the corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions implemented by Italian companies between February 20, 2020 and April 20, 2020, which was the first peak in the outbreak of the COVID-19 health emergency in Italy.

Using sentiment analysis, the impact of COVID-19 on CSR actions is analysed through reactions to the news published on Twitter by a sample of Italian news agencies.

The analysis indicates that the actions most appreciated are those that are more radical, e.g. where the company has converted part of its production to make goods that are useful in dealing with the COVID-19 emergency. The study identifies a new category of actions definable as “crisis-shaped CSR.”

This is one of the first studies concerning the effects of the pandemic on both CSR actions and organizational legitimacy.

This work explains which strategic approach to CSR is the most effective in supporting corporate reputation in times of crisis, this study identified which of the CSR initiatives adopted by companies in Italy were more effective in stimulating positive interactions and sentiment among the general public.

It is generally recognized that network management is a critical factor for network success. It is also acknowledged that different managerial behaviors are necessary in different network settings. Scholars have explored the relationships between network characteristics and managerial behaviors, but the role of network culture in influencing network managers’ activities remains under-investigated. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap.

The analysis is developed through a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis of 18 country-based networks involved in the same EU-funded project.

The results shed light on two different combinations of network culture types and management practices simultaneously leading to high network performance.

The paper confirms the existence of a relationship between network management and certain characteristics of the networks, in particular network culture.

The present study connects the literature on sustainable HRM with that on employability to investigate the relationship between sustainability-oriented human resource actions and organizational outcomes. More specifically, this study explores how training for employability affects the employer–employee relationship and employee retention. Furthermore, this study considers competitive intensity as a potential moderator in these relationships.

The analyses draw on the fourth European Company Survey (ECS 2019) with a sample of 21?869 firms with more than ten employees. Two separate logistic regression models were used to test the hypothesis.

The results show that training for employability contributes to improving the employer–employee relationship and that competitive intensity positively shapes this relationship. Contextually, training for employability reduces the overall employee retention of the firm.

Although this study supports the potential win–win nature of employability support, especially for companies that operate in competitive markets and an uncertain environment, it also highlights the existence of paradoxical sustainability tensions that should be managed by employers.

This paper explores the use of social media (SM) in Human Resource Management (HRM). Building on the configurational approach, the study investigates the existence of different configurations of social e-HRM, their consequences for the organizations and their predictors.

This empirical study draws on a survey administered to HR directors of 176 companies operating in Italy. Two-step cluster analysis, test for variance and logistic regressions were employed for data analysis.

Three social e-HRM configurations emerged – non-use, relational use and extended relational use – which distinguish different goals for using SM in HRM. The three configurations lead to similar outcomes for organizations, even if SM users, in general, enjoy greater success than non-users. Certain structural, strategic and HRM factors are systematically and variously associated with each configuration.

The study is based on cross-sectional research, and thus it is difficult to identify causal links between the variables. The study also relies on data collected in a specific national context, which limits the generalizability of the results.

The study suggests that different and equally effective social e-HRM configurations exist and that their presence is predicted by specific structural, strategic and HRM factors.

The study contributes to an emerging and still scarce literature on types, drivers and outcomes of SM use in HRM.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the recent evolution of the employment services system of a Northern Italian region (Lombardy), which was planned according to principles inspired by quasi-markets and horizontal subsidiarity theories, with a focus on its design and implementation challenges. It aims to provide practical and theoretical insights for the design of public services’ governance systems that similarly feature public-private competition and/or cooperation and users’ freedom of choice.

The paper reviews and integrates previous empirical research analysing the programmes that are part of the recent evolution of Lombardy’s employment services system, in order to draw insights and lessons.

The paper suggests areas where closer scrutiny and related intervention is warranted on the part of the institution in charge of the system’s design (in this case the regional administration), especially in terms of appropriate design of incentive mechanisms for partnership creation, and adequate consideration of the equity implications of the chosen solutions.

The paper may be of interest to public officials aiming to implement systems with similar characteristics (public-private competition vs collaboration, users’ freedom of choice), in order to consider challenges and possible implications of their decisions during the planning phase. From a theoretical perspective, this case suggests that reliance on freedom and responsibility, both on the demand and the supply side, may not be adequate to reach the desired outcomes, and may produce negative equity implications. Focused partnerships may be more effective, but may experience similar shortcomings from the viewpoint of equity.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the IJPSM special issue on marketization to clarify the conceptual foundations of marketization as a phenomenon within the public sector and gauge current marketization trends based on the special issue’s seven papers.

Conceptual clarification and cross-cutting review of seven papers analysing marketization in six countries in three policy areas at the level of local government.

Four ideal-types models are deduced: quasi-markets involving both provider competition and free choice for users; classical contracting out; benchmarking and yardstick competition; and public-private collaboration. Based on the review of the seven papers, it is found that all elements in all marketization models are firmly embedded but also under dynamic change within public service delivery systems. The review also identifies limitations and modifications of the four ideal-type models. A key trend is a move towards public-private collaboration and cross-sectorial and inter-organizational governance arrangements.

Continued research on marketization would benefit from development of more fine-tuned theoretical models which are sensitive to the realm of the dynamics within particular policy and institutional contexts.

Policy-makers should balance normative objectives against the experiences gained at the level of implementation.

The special issue shows that marketization still is a concurrent phenomenon which is driving substantial change in public service delivery systems as well as is under dynamic change itself.

This study aims to evaluate the caffeinated drinks, levels of vitamin D and calcium in the blood, and their relationship to bone mineral density (BMD) in osteoporotic women in Al-Ahsa Saudi Arabia.

This study included 85 women over approximately 18 months with ages ranging from 40 to 70 years who were evaluated in the laboratory via blood analysis. Moreover, sociodemographic data and information on health and nutritional awareness were collected via a questionnaire. The BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and considered osteopenia when the T value total of the lumbar spine or hip was between −1 and −2.5 and osteoporosis < −2.5. Blood levels of vitamin D and calcium were measured via blood analysis.

There were 54.1% and 45.9% of women who suffered from osteoporosis and low BMD, respectively. There was a significant difference in the number of osteoporotic, and low bone mineral mass groups in marital status (p = 0.04), but no difference was found in age and educational level. A significant difference (p = 0.01) between low bone mass and osteoporosis groups in heights. BMD was significantly and negatively correlated with vitamin D in the blood in individuals with osteoporosis (r = −0.358, P = 0.014). In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between calcium in the blood and total samples (r = −0.355, P = 0.0578). There was a negative significant relationship between calcium supplements and BMD in individuals with low BMD (rt = −0.279, P = 0.041). There was a significant association between cola intake with the occurrence of low BMD (p = 0.027), whereas tea drinking was not associated with risk in both groups.

The study indicated that there is a direct relationship between osteoporosis and low bone mass with different variables. This study was conducted to address the lack of research related to the levels of vitamin D and calcium in the blood and their relationship with BMD in women with low BMD and osteoporosis in Al-Ahsa province-KSA.