14,585 research outputs found
Who’s on Stage? The roles of the project sponsor and of the project leader in IC reporting
No full textDespite the plethora of IC reporting frameworks proposed by scholars and practitioners, their adoption is still not widespread in practice. In other words, IC seems to be more preached than practiced (Dumay, 2009, Chiucchi, 2013b, Lönnqvist et al., 2009). As a consequence, various studies have examined which are the levers and the obstacles that can influence the adoption, use and diffusion of IC reporting practices (Dumay, 2012, Lönnqvist et al., 2009, Catasús et al., 2007, Catasús and Gröjer, 2006, Chiucchi and Montemari, 2016, Giuliani et al., 2016).
Levers and barriers can be related to the technical-objective side of IC, i.e. how IC is measured and managed, or to its organizational-subjective side, i.e. who measures and manages IC (Chiucchi et al., 2016). While there are some studies that aim to understand the technical sides (Giuliani, 2016, Giuliani, 2014, Giuliani et al., 2016, Dumay and Rooney, 2011, Catasús et al., 2007, Catasús and Gröjer, 2006), the subjective side of IC appears to be underinvestigated (Chaminade and Roberts, 2003, Chiucchi, 2013a, Chiucchi, 2013b).
Moving from these considerations, the aim of this study is to examine the roles played by the “project sponsor” (PS) and the “project leader” (PL) in the design and implementation process of an IC reporting project. In order to achieve this aim the results of an exploratory field study (Roslender and Hart, 2003, Lillis and Mundy, 2005) referred to Italian companies that adopted an IC report will be presented.
Our study adds to IC literature by showing, from a practice-based perspective, the roles played by the PSs and of the PLs in different organizations and how they are determinant in the decision to undertake these projects, in their accomplishment, prosecution and abandonment. In particular, it emerges that PSs and PLs have a relevant role in the IC sensegiving and sensemaking processes: their specialization influence the way IC is perceived within the company and the fate of the IC report, i.e. in determining the success or the failure of the IC projects
I CONSORZI: ASPETTI DEFINITORI E CARATTERIZZANTI
No full textIl capitolo tratta la diffusione dell'attività consortile, la definizione della fattispecie dei consorzi e la loro diffusione in italia
GLI STUDI PROFESSIONALI: ASPETTI DEFINITORI E CARATTERIZZANTI
No full textDopo aver trattato la definizione e attività professionale, si identificano le tipologie di studi professionali e la loro diffusione e rilevanza nel contesto italiano
LA NANOIMPRESA: ASPETTI DEFINITORI E CARATTERIZZANTI
No full textIl capitolo ha lo scopo di offrire una visione qualitativa e quantitativa degli strumenti per identificare la nanomipresa. Si analizza poi la diffusione e la rilevanza della nanoimpresa nel contesto italiano
Rome wasn’t built in a day ... reflecting on time, intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities
No full textPurpose – The aim of this paper is to analyse, through a temporal lens and from a managerial perspective, the role played by intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities “in practice” within the value creation and value destruction processes. In particular, this study is based on the following research question: To what extent are time and its attributes considered, measured, and discussed with reference to Intellectual Capital (IC) and Intellectual Liabilities (ILs) and their influence on Financial Capital (FC)? In order to achieve this purpose, the author has carried out a field study.
Design/methodology/approach – A field study method is adopted in order to understand intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities ‘in action’ from a temporal perspective.
Findings – This study highlights the relevance of time when intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities are analysed from a dynamic perspective. In particular, the main findings are the following. First, it emerges that the time dimension of IC tends not to be measured due to the complexity of IC itself and to the lack of adequate accounting practices. Second, IC time is generally considered to be non-cyclical and random. Third, even if time is not measured, some companies talk about it and when this is done with regularity, time perceptions move from an individual sphere to a collective one and they become more and more reliable. Moreover, IC performance is perceived to be “distant” from FC performance: the succession of events and the time lags are difficult to define and quantify as the influence of IC on FC is mediated by several resources and events. Lastly, the value destruction process related to ILs tends to generate negative effects faster than the value creation one, especially with reference to the impacts of IC on FC.
Research limitations – The main limitations of this study are twofold. The first is related to the methodology adopted and the related risks that the results may be subject to both interviewee and interviewer bias and interpretation. The second is related to the fact that the constructs to be discussed were not proposed by the firms but by the author, in order to make the results comparable.
Implications – This study contributes to the literature on intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities ‘in action’ and ‘in practice’. Moreover, this study enriches the extant intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities literature focusing on time, a variable that is generally assumed to be a natural unchangeable phenomenon that does not deserve attention. In particular, the findings highlight the different behaviours and perceptions that occur when intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities are looked at through a temporal lens. Finally, this study pinpoints that value creation and value destruction processes seem to have different timings as it takes more time to create value than to destroy it.
Originality/value - In comparison to previous studies, this study does not focus on the positive and negative effects of IC separately, but combines the two issues, also comparing the value creation and the value destruction processes in order to offer a complete picture. Moreover, it adopts a temporal lens, which has been applied only with reference to IC but not to ILs as well. Finally, while the extant literature on ILs tends to investigate them from a theoretical perspective and adopting a static approach, this research investigates ILs empirically from a dynamic perspective
Sensemaking, sensegiving and sensebreaking: The case of intellectual capital measurements
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate how organizations make sense of and give sense to IC measurements, i.e. to analyse the sensemaking, sensegiving, and sensebreaking processes with reference to IC measurements. In order to achieve this aim, a case study, developed adopting an action research approach, will be presented.
Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on a case study for which an interventionist research method was adopted.
Findings – The main findings are the following. First, the development of an IC project requires the development of an intense sensemaking and sensegiving activity as the managers of an organization need, first, to make sense of this new object (i.e. assign it a meaning) and of the consequent new managerial practices and, second, to diffuse the sense of IC and of its measurements within the organization. Second, the development of an IC project can be seen as a series of different types of sensemaking micro-processes (guided, fragmented, restricted, etc.) and each of them can lead to a different outcome of the practice of measuring IC; thus, it seems possible to argue that the outcome of the project depends on the specific type of sensemaking/sensegiving adopted in each phase (e.g. lock-in, mobilisation, etc.). Third, it emerges that IC can be a sensebreaking device, i.e. existing measurements introduced in an “IC box” can acquire different meanings. Finally this study underlines the relevance of the “leaders” within the development of IC sensemaking processes and the related outcomes.
Research limitations – The main limitations of this study are twofold. The first is related to the methodology adopted and to its specific pros and cons. The second is related to the specificities (size, managerial approach, etc.) of the case examined.
Implications – This paper contributes to the extant literature regarding the production and use of IC measurements “in practice” as it highlights what happens when an IC measurement system is implemented. Moreover it contributes to the development of a “theory of indicators” as it suggests aspects regarding how IC indicators are interpreted. Finally, the paper adds to the growing stream of analysis dedicated to the micro-processes of sensegiving and other sensemaking patterns, i.e. to the studies focused on how measurements are “shaped” “through the creative oral intertwining of accounting and other organizational knowledge”.
Originality/value – Differently from the extant literature, this study does not adopt a theoretical perspective on how measurements are designed and used but is aimed at investigating how these measurements are designed and used ”in practice”. Moreover, this study analyses the use of IC measurements focusing specifically on the micro-processes of sensemaking, sensegiving, and sensebreaking that tend to be overlooked. In other words, this study examines sensemaking processes related to IC measurements, i.e. the sensemaking of IC measurements and by means of IC measurements. Finally, this investigation considers the different types of sensemaking processes in order to interpret the different outcomes of measuring IC
Not all sunshine and roses: Discovering intellectual liabilities "in action"
No full textPurpose – This paper helps to address the need for empirical investigations on Intellectual Capital and Intellectual Liabilities “in action” and their consequences in terms of value creation and value destruction. In light of this consideration, this study aims to investigate if and how Intellectual Capital and Intellectual Liabilities influence the value creation and destruction processes, that is, if Intellectual Liabilities “in action” simply mirror Intellectual Capital dynamics or if they present some specificities.
Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study method is adopted in order to understand intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities “in action”.
Findings – This study highlights the relevance of intellectual liabilities within the intellectual capital discourse. In particular, it shows that intellectual capital and intellectual liabilities affect the value creation process in different ways. Moreover, it emerges that intellectual liabilities tend to be left out of managerial discussions. Stemming from this, the idea of Intellectual Equity is proposed and conceived as the logical difference between Intellectual Capital and Intellectual Liabilities.
Research limitations – The main limitations of this study are twofold. The first is related to the methodology adopted and in particular to the qualitative mapping process developed. The second is the fact that the constructs to analyse were not indicated by the firms but by the author in order to make the results comparable.
Implications - This study contributes to the development of the literature on "Intellectual Capital in action" and "Intellectual Capital in practice" bringing in the idea of Intellectual Liabilities and the consideration that Intellectual Capital can create, but also destroy, value. Moreover, it highlights the need to monitor and manage Intellectual Liabilities in order to control the negative effects generated by Intellectual Capital. Therefore, this analysis has both theoretical and practical implications.
Originality/value – In comparison to the extant literature mentioned, this study does not analyse IC only in terms of value creation, but also in terms of value destruction. Moreover, instead of proposing and developing new concepts, methods and tools, this research investigates intellectual liabilities “in action”. In addition, this work jointly considers value creation and value destruction processes
Indicative votes on Brexit: most MPs were not guided by personal ideological belief but sought to pursue their constituents’ interests
No full textMarco Giuliani analyses the parliamentary Brexit process through an examination of the 12 indicative votes held in 2019 to find an alternative solution to Theresa May’s exit agreement. He maps the choices of each MP along two relevant dimensions, connecting them to the socioeconomic structure of their constituency as well as to the preferences expressed in the referendum
La valutazione dei software
No full textIl capitolo analizza le caratteristiche teoriche e applicative dei principali metodi di stima del valore del softwar
Trust and intellectual capital reporting in Italy: A longitudinal perspective
No full textIn the last two decades, Intellectual Capital (IC) reporting has experienced a “rise and fall” process. More in depth, after the initial academic and professional enthusiasm, several scholars and practitioners have raised questions about whether IC was something relevant or just a managerial fashion. Some recent studies have investigated the reasons underlying the demise of the IC reports (Chiucchi and Giuliani, 2017; Chiucchi, et al., 2016, 2018; Giuliani and Chiucchi, 2019; Nielsen, et al., 2017; Tee Jeok Inn, et al., 2015). Some argue that a relevant issue to understand if a business reporting practice will be adopted and maintained or rejected is trust (Chaidali and Jones, 2017). In fact, as the implementation of a new business reporting practice is subject to managerial discretion, it is important to focus on preparers' trust in the “new” reporting tool. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the IC reporting experience to understand the role of trust in determining the parabola experienced by IC reporting. In other words, the study aims to understand whether and how the IC reporting issues managed to gain and, in several cases, lose the trust of the preparers’. In order to achieve this aim, the results of an exploratory field study conducted through semi-structured interviews referred to Italian companies will be presented. The social theory of trust (Sztompka, 1999) will be used to understand how the trust on IC reporting was built by the Italian IC scholars and practitioners involved in the field and why it remained or faded over time. This paper contributes to the existing literature answering the call for more follow up studies about IC reporting. Consequently, this paper contributes to the understanding of the reasons underlying the rise and fall of IC reporting and the future of IC research. In addition, the results achieved can contribute to understanding to what extent trust can influence the “fate” of a business reporting initiative. In comparison to the extant studies, this study is not focused on single or few cases but it offers insights collected from several organisations in order to have a broader view of the IC experience. In addition, by adopting a longitudinal perspective, from the first implementation up to date, our research does not offer a “snapshot”, i.e. referred to a specific moment, of the role played in taking up and in continuing or abandoning these practices. Finally, the Italian case, which presents some peculiarities if compared, for example, to the Danish one, offers also the possibility to identify different levers/obstacles related to the different genesis of the adoptions of IC reports
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