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1 – 10 of 17Matteo Rossi, Giuseppe Festa, Salim Chouaibi, Monica Fait and Armando Papa
This study aims to examine the potential effect that business ethics (BE) in general and corporate social responsibility (CSR) more specifically can exert on the voluntary…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the potential effect that business ethics (BE) in general and corporate social responsibility (CSR) more specifically can exert on the voluntary disclosure (VD) of intellectual capital (IC) for the ethically most engaged firms in the world.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design is based on an inductive approach. As part of the global quantitative investigation, the authors have analyzed the impact of BE and CSR on the transparent communication of the IC. The data under analysis have been investigated using multiple linear regression.
Findings
Based on a sample of 83 enterprises emerging as the most ethical companies in the world, the results have revealed that the adoption of ethical and socially responsible approach is positively associated with the extent of VD about IC. This finding may help attenuating the asymmetry of information and the conflict of interest potentially arising with corporate partners. Hence, IC-VD may stand as an evidence of ethical and socially responsible behaviors.
Practical implications
Global and national regulators and policymakers can be involved by these results when setting social reporting standards because they suggest that institutional and/or cultural factors affect top management's social reporting behavior in the publication of the IC information.
Social implications
Direct and indirect stakeholders, if supported by ethical and socially responsible behaviors of the company, could assess more in detail the quality of the disclosed information concerning the IC.
Originality/value
Most of the studies that have been conducted in this field have examined the effect of BE and CSR on the firm's overall transparency, neglecting their potential effect on IC disclosure. This study is designed to fill in this gap through testing the impact of ethical and socially responsible approaches specifically on IC-VD.
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Monica Rossolini, Alessia Pedrazzoli and Alessandro Ronconi
Recognising the growing importance of environmental and sustainable activities and the role of communication strategies in soliciting their financing, this work investigates the…
Abstract
Purpose
Recognising the growing importance of environmental and sustainable activities and the role of communication strategies in soliciting their financing, this work investigates the influence of message framing, green emphasis and quantitative information on the probability of green crowdfunding campaigns' success.
Design/methodology/approach
This analysis is based on crowdfunding campaigns published between 2015 and 2020 on the Indiegogo platform in the category “Community projects – Environment”. The study develops an in-depth qualitative content analysis of the projects before performing an empirical examination to determine funding causes.
Findings
Communication strategies (message framing, green emphasis and quantitative goals) affect funding success. However, project category moderates the impact of message framing and green emphasis on campaign success. While positive framing increases agri-food campaign success, negative framing is more effective for clean energy and climate preservation projects. Moreover, indication of a quantitative goal and a marked green emphasis in a project's presentation increase campaign success, but a too marked green emphasis is only effective for agri-food projects.
Practical implications
Green entrepreneurs and campaign managers must work carefully on their projects' communication, accounting for the type of product proposed, emphasising green components in its description and utilising quantitative information to present future goals. These strategies maximise backers' responses and enable entrepreneurs to obtain funding. The authors’ findings may be extended to other contexts, including the banking sector, to craft effective communication strategies for green financial products.
Originality/value
By applying framing theory in a new context (i.e. the online financing of green entrepreneurs), this study identifies new campaign success determinants and provides evidence for the moderating role of project category. Furthermore, the study highlights the need to develop different communication strategies for social and environmental-oriented projects.
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Domitilla Magni, Roberto Chierici, Monica Fait and Kelly Lefebvre
Building upon the insights of the resource-based view and internationalization theories, the purpose of this paper is to examine the role networks play in SMEs' readiness for…
Abstract
Purpose
Building upon the insights of the resource-based view and internationalization theories, the purpose of this paper is to examine the role networks play in SMEs' readiness for internationalization. By investigating three different types of knowledge sharing, namely economic-setting, market-specific and customer-specific, the study analyzes their effect on SMEs' readiness for internationalization.
Design/methodology/approach
The four research hypotheses derived by from the analysis of the literature have been investigated by applying the multiple regression technique. By means of an online survey, 300 valid questionnaires were collected and information from a sample of Italian SMEs belonging to 11 agro-food consortia have been analyzed.
Findings
The results suggest that SMEs' readiness for internationalization could be supported by sharing customer-specific, market-specific and economic-setting knowledge with other firms operating within the same agro-food consortium. Additionally, data analysis highlights a negative relation between the risk perception in the process and readiness for internationalization, suggesting the importance of knowledge sharing in reducing the criticality issues of being a newcomer entering international markets.
Originality/value
From a theoretical perspective, this study aims to fill the gap in knowledge management and international relationship marketing literature. Since proposes a combination of different kinds of knowledge that contribute to reducing the criticalities SMEs must face by identifying useful information to be conveyed within the network. From a managerial perspective, the study provides useful insights for the agro-food sector, highlighting how experiential and network knowledge constitutes a pre-condition for managing internationalization complexity and discovering opportunities on foreign markets.
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Amina Tawfik, Samia Shouman, Reda Tabashy, Mervat Omran and Mohamed Gad El-Mola
This scientific article aims to evaluate the efficacy of the drug Doxorubicin for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egypt. The study analyzes data from patients referred…
Abstract
Purpose
This scientific article aims to evaluate the efficacy of the drug Doxorubicin for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egypt. The study analyzes data from patients referred to a multi-disciplinary consultation at the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University. The study includes 40 intermediate-stage HCC patients who underwent treatment with either Doxorubicin-Lipiodol or Doxorubicin-loaded drug-eluting beads-trans-arterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE).
Design/methodology/approach
Patients referred to a multi-disciplinary consultation at the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University with a possible diagnosis of HCC in the intermediate stage were eligible for the study.
Findings
The study finds that the plasma peak concentration of Doxorubicin is significantly higher in patients treated with Lipiodol compared to those treated with DEB-TACE. The median plasma peak concentration of patients treated with Lipiodol was significantly higher 424 (202.5–731) than the peak level of patients treated with beads 84.95 (26.6–156.5) with p-value = 0.036. However, there is no significant difference in other pharmacokinetic parameters between the two treatment groups. The research article also investigates the genetic polymorphisms in HCC patients treated with Doxorubicin-Lipiodol and Doxorubicin-loaded DEB-TACE. It identifies a significant association between the ABCB1 gene (C3435T) and the concentration of Doxorubicin in plasma. Patients with the CCand computed tomography (CT) genotypes of ABCB1 have higher concentrations of Doxorubicin compared to those with the TT genotype. Furthermore, the study examines the progression-free survival rates and tumour response in the two treatment groups. It demonstrates that DEB-TACE patients have a higher progression-free survival rate compared to cTACE patients. DEB-TACE also leads to better tumour regression.
Originality/value
The current study helps to increase the understanding of the genetic factors that may contribute to HCC susceptibility in the Egyptian population. However, it is essential to consider that genetic polymorphism is just one aspect of HCC risk, and other factors such as environment, lifestyle and viral infections also play crucial roles. Further research is needed to elucidate the complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors in HCC development among Egyptians.
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Vincenzo Corvello, Monica De Carolis, Saverino Verteramo and Annika Steiber
This paper explores digital transformation's impact on the work of owners in entrepreneurial firms. The interplay between working practices and technology is analyzed, taking into…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores digital transformation's impact on the work of owners in entrepreneurial firms. The interplay between working practices and technology is analyzed, taking into account the organizations' specific contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
A multiple case study design was applied. Eight cases of entrepreneurial firms, defined as companies that bring new products and services to the market by creating and seizing opportunities, were selected, with the goal to maximize the diversity of cases. The sample includes both small- and medium-sized firms, as well as high- tech and low- tech companies in equal number. Interviews have been used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data, which was analyzed in a structured way.
Findings
The digital transformation of entrepreneurial work, that is the daily work of entrepreneurs, is an evolutionary, practice-based phenomenon, rather than the result of rational design. The use of different digital tools is interrelated and depends on the characteristics, and dynamics of the surrounding environment.
Practical implications
The findings of this study are relevant to entrepreneurs interested in understanding the dynamics of their working practice, to software development firms interested in entrepreneurs as customers and to institutions interested in the education of entrepreneurs.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge this is the first study which considers the interplay between digital technology and the daily activities of entrepreneurs, considered as a whole. It provides insights on how these interconnected dimensions evolve, thus contributing to understanding the work of entrepreneurs, and as a consequence the dynamics of entrepreneurial firms in the context of digital transformation of organizations.
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