1,720,996 research outputs found
Efficiency and productivity in presence of undesirable outputs
Full text linkThe present thesis is composed of a short introduction aimed at introducing the topic and reviewing the literature and then three empirical articles.
In the first paper the eco-efficiency levels of a group of Italian firms operating in 5 industrial sectors are computed using the directional distance function (DDF) framework. Results are analysed in a second stage where the determinants of environmental performances and the regulatory impact are investigated applying a robust econometric technique. Estimates underline that the sector-specific effect on eco-efficiency and on regulatory opportunity costs will disappear when individual characteristics of firms are considered, finally a major difficulty in dealing with environmental constraints emerges for small and medium firms.
The second application deals with the scientific production of CNR’s research institutes: they produce a portfolio of products characterised by different scientific profile. The hypothesis is that there are 2 category of scientific outputs: researchers and institutes try to maximize only one of them, but the other cannot be reduced or eliminated. Obtained DDF estimates allow to verify different hypothesis: from the consistency and novelty of results in respect to the standard approach, to the TFP growth trends and concluding with quantification, in term of unpublished scientific papers, of the fund cutting occurred after the 2003 reform.
Finally is proposed an efficiency analysis of the chemical industry in Italy and Germany, a mature sector where testing for the validity of Porter’s hypothesis could be particularly interested. Estimations reveal an higher eco-efficiency level for Italian firms also if they are more pollutant in absolute term. TFP growth, that takes into account reduction in emission levels, reveal a more favourable trend for German firms which at the end of period reach an eco-efficiency level similar to their counterparts. Finally the formal test for the Porter’s hypothesis lead to a rejection, revealing the absence of a positive relationship between initial regulatory costs and observed TFP growth rates
Work from Home Arrangements and Organizational Performance in Italian SMEs: Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textWe use survey data on Italian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) collected during the COVID-19 pandemic to explore the relationship between the adoption of work from home (WFH) practices and organizational performance. In so doing, we investigate the possible underlying mechanisms, including measures of labor productivity and workers’ concentration and motivation, the level of absenteeism, the organization of work through management by objectives (MBO), and the presence of coordination and communication costs. We obtain several results. First, we find a significantly enhanced capability of firms that adopted WFH during the pandemic to sustain the overall organizational performance, particularly when such work practice is used intensively. Second, increased labor productivity and workers’ concentration and motivation, decreased absenteeism, and a substantial rise in the adoption of MBO seem to be the main drivers behind the detected benefits related to WFH. Third, when WFH is used at medium levels of intensity, it is associated with augmented coordination and communication costs, which nonetheless do not appear to overcome the benefits associated with WFH
The influence of LCC, Fleet mix and Ownership on airports' environmental efficiency: evidence from Italy
Full text linkThis paper analyses the efficiency of 33 Italian airports for the period 2005-2008. In addition to the conventional outputs (i.e., flights, passengers and cargo), two undesirable outputs have been considered: noise and local air pollution. The Directional Distance Function (DDF) approach shows that the inclusion in the analysis of the undesirable effects of airport operations leads to greater and closer airports' efficiency scores. Furthermore, we perform a second stage regression to investigate the determinants of efficiency. First, we clearly identify the presence of a fleet effect: airports are more environmentally efficient, the lower is the percentage of flights made through narrow-body aircrafts, in comparison to the percentage of flights made by regional jets. Second, we find that the higher is the stake of public local authorities in the airports' ownership structure, the higher is their environmental efficiency. Third, the presence of Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) seems not to be significant from the environmental point of view, in contrast to the common perception that LCCs are more environmentally friendly because they use more modern fleets. Interestingly, most of our results are confirmed also when looking at a more long run scenario
Benchmarking and effects of reforms in the fixed telecommunications industry: A DDF approach
No full textOur article proposes an application of the Directional Distance Function (DDF) approach to the
fixed telecommunication field. In particular, we present an efficiency evaluation of
European fixed telecom operators, where the DDF tool allows for asymmetric treatment of outputs
characterized by a different degree of desirability: broadband lines (a market still in expansion,
related to a welfare-improving service) and narrow band lines (an almost saturated
market, corresponding to a “minimal” TLC service in developed countries). Finally, by means of a
second stage regression, we investigate the effect on technical efficiency of set of variables
representing the competitive environment, the ownership structure and the degree of
vertical separation. Our results show that the assumptions embedded in the DDF model influence
relevantly the technical efficiency estimates, where important potential bias can arise if the
duality of outputs is ignored, with a subsequent relevant impact also on the second stage
results. These findings highlight the relevance of choosing benchmarking models consistent
with the features of the analysed technology and show that the DDF
approach is a flexible tool able to accommodate even complex output structures
The influence of fleet mix, ownership and LCCs on airports’ technical/environmental efficiency
No full textThis paper analyses the efficiency of 33 Italian airports for the period 2005–2008. In addition to conventional outputs, differently from previous contributions, two environmental externalities are considered: noise and local air pollution. We perform a two-stage analysis.
First, we implement a directional distance function (DDF) model and get airports’ efficiency scores. Then, we study the factors affecting efficiency using a bootstrapping procedure. We find that the fleet mix significantly affects technical/environmental efficiency. Moreover, we provide evidence that public airports have higher efficiency scores. Last, LCCs have no effect on technical/environmental efficiency
What Are the Benefits of Having More Female Leaders? : evidence from the Use of Part-Time Work in Italy
Full text linkUsing three waves of a representative survey of Italian private firms, the authors explore the impact of female managers on a firm’s use of part-time work. Building on a literature that suggests female leaders display relatively more altruistic values compared to their male counterparts, the authors assess whether these differences manifest themselves in relation to working time arrangements offered by firms. Results, robust to controls for several time-varying firm-level characteristics and unobserved fixed firm heterogeneity, indicate that female managers are significantly more likely to limit the employment of involuntary part-time workers and correspondingly make greater use of full-time employees. Female managers also are more prone to grant part-time arrangements to employees who request them. Results also suggest that increasing the number of female business leaders may mitigate the problem of underemployment among involuntary part-time workers and contribute to the work–life balance of workers with child care or elder care activities
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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