1,721,141 research outputs found
Innovation Processes in Business Networks. Managing Inter-Organizational Relationships for Innovational Excellence
No full textIn today’s networked economy, each organization is more and more shaped by the system of its long-term business interactions. Innovation processes cannot be successfully designed and managed unless the complex influences of business networking on innovation processes and innovation-related performances are clearly understood. But extant theories on business networks are fragmented, and each of them, taken singularly, provides only partial or poor understanding of the impacts of business networking on innovation performances.
Based on qualitative researches on three exemplary worst practices, and on expert panel discussion and validation, Francesca Ricciardi develops novel quantitative models in this theory-building work to explain innovation performances in different inter-organizational networks
Design Research seen as Applied Science capable of theorizing the IT Artifact
No full textThis paper suggests that there are two main reasons why Design Oriented / Design Science Research is hardly accepted in mainstream (i.e. behaviorist and interpretive) Information Systems studies: (i) Information Systems studies have built their disciplinary identity by adhering to Social Science studies, and by deliberately abandoning technology-centred, engineering-like activities; and (ii) Design Research, because of its epistemological an methodological bases, tends to provide outcomes which are hardly usable by the mainstream IS research. This paper seeks to demonstrate that these two problems could and should be over-come, and provides some concrete proposals to fine-tune the epistemological un-derpinnings of Design Research, and to enrich its outcomes with theory building and/or theory testing contributions, in order to make Design Research compatible and synergic with both behaviorist and interpretive Information Systems research. This paper suggests that such disciplinary evolution could play a pivotal role in the struggle against two harmful weaknesses of today’s mainstream IS academic production, and namely: (a) lack of applied research, and (b) lack of theories on the IT artifact
Trasformare lo spreco alimentare in risorsa sociale: Una soluzione organizzativa
Full text linkEconomic growth often generates negative externalities such as pollution, waste, overpopulation, poverty and social exclusion. Place-based organizational fields are a promising level of analysis to understand the opportunities that businesses, public institutions and social enterprises can leverage to take on the externality challenges they face. The aim of this paper is to investigate how collaborative innovation and (ICT-enabled) changes at the level of the organizational field can generate value for both individual firms (increased profits and legitimation) and territorial systems (increased positive and/or decreased negative externalities). In particular, this study analyses a transition to an innovative system for recovering fruit and vegetable surpluses in one of the biggest Italian farmer markets. In the case analysed, wholesalers donate products to non-profit associations that assist people in marginal conditions. These activities are coordinated through a just-in-time system that empowers network partners and eliminates the need for storage. The new institutional and organizational solution allows the food wholesalers to cut their costs, improve processes and enhance legitimation, while contributing to reduce environmental impacts and improve public health and social inclusion
Genetic analysis on biosynthesis of compounds affecting bitterness in almond tree (Amygdalus communis L.= Prunus Dulcis Mill.)
Full text linkWild-type seeds of Prunoidaeae are bitter and toxic as they accumulate
amygdalin, a cyanogenic phytoanticipin thought to have an important role in
defense against herbivores and pathogens. The sweet taste of the seeds of
cultivated almond (Prunus dulcis Miller D.A. Webb syn. Prunus amygdalus
Batsch) originates from a mutation selected during early domestication and
maintained in modern cultivars. Previous genetic analyses revealed that the
almond seed taste depends on the genotype of the mother plant. Moreover, it is
under monogenic control, and the allele associated with sweetness (Sk) is
dominant over the allele conferring bitterness (sk). In previous studies, the Sk
locus was positioned on almond linkage group (LG) 5. However, the molecular
nature of the Sk gene is still elusive.
The genome sequence of peach (Prunus persica L.), a species
evolutionary close to almond, has been recently released and is publicly
available at the Genomic Database of Rosaceae (GDR). In this thesis, we
exploited peach genomic resources to identify new molecular markers linked
to the Sk locus in almond. Moreover, we provide a fine-map of the Sk genomic
region and identified a few candidate genes for kernel taste.
The SSR markers BPPCT037, CPDCT028, EPDCU2584 and UDA045
were previously shown to be closely linked to the Sk locus on the almond LG5.
BLAST search for peach nucleotide sequences similar to these markers
SUMMARY
resulted in the identification of best matches all positioned on scaffold 5,
suggesting the identification of a synthenic region between the peach and
almond genomes. The two markers UDA045 and CPDCT028, previously
reported to flank the Sk locus, were found to delimit a region of about 810 Kb
in the physical map of peach, likely containg the Sk gene ortholog.
Aiming to saturate the Sk region, we designed several primer pairs on
peach genes included in the 810 Kb interval flanked by UDA045 and
CPDCT028. Sequence analysis of PCR products revealed the presence of six
SNPs segregating in a large F1 mapping population of 476 individuals,
obtained by crossing the two parental genotypes R1000 and Desmayo
Largueta. This information was used to develop CAPS markers linked to the
Sk locus.
Newly identified CAPS markers and previously reported Sk-linked SSR
markers were used to fingerprint the F1 population above mentioned. Marker
data were merged with phenotypic scores and used to produce a saturated map
of the Sk region. Notably, the marker order on almond LG5 resulted to be fully
in accordance with the order of ortholog sequences in peach scaffold 5,
indicating collinearity between the two genomes. Having provided strong
evidence for genome collinearity between almond and peach and the
identification of almond markers flanking the Sk locus, we concluded that the
Sk ortholog in peach is likely located in a physical region of about 80 Kb,
SUMMARY
delimited by the genes referred to as ppa003882m and ppa005388m according
to the nomenclature used in the GDR.
Primers designed on the seven peach genes included in the interval
delimited by the genes ppa003882m and ppa005388m were used on almond
cDNA obtained by the kernel tegument tissues of sweet and bitter almonds for
a real-time qPCR assay, in order to detect differences in expression levels that
would have indicated the implication of these genes in amygdalin
accumulation. Two of them were found to be more expressed in sweet
genotypes, although difference were not always significant in all the time
points of kernel ripening stage under test.
Researches performed during the PhD period brought to the identification
of a series of molecular markers linked to the Sk locus in almond. This is of
great interest for almond breeding, as they can aid the selection of sweet
genotypes without the need to wait for a long juvenile phase and carry out
phenotypic tests. Specific advantages of the CAPS markers identified in this
study regard their close linkage with the Sk locus, which minimizes errors due
to recombination, and their co-dominant nature, which allows to distinguish
between sweet homozygous and heterozygous individuals. Moreover, CAPS
markers can be obtained by means of simple protocols that require relatively
inexpensive laboratory equipment.
This thesis also provides a fine-scale map of the genomic region around
the Sk gene, which lays a foundation for its isolation via positional cloning and
SUMMARY
corroborates previous reports indicating high level of synteny and collinearity
between species of the Prunus genus.
According to the map provided in this thesis, and assuming collinearity
between peach and almond, the Sk gene should be one of the ortholog of the
seven peach genes flanked by the genes ppa003882m and ppa005388m. Five
of them (ppa022201m, ppa025417m, ppa027182m, ppa015634m and
ppa005343m, according to the GDR nomenclature) encode MYC transcription
factors. The remaining two genes, ppa011942m and ppa023406m, respectively
encode the MED10 component of the mediator complex, functioning as
transcriptional co-activator in eukaryotes, and a putative galactose oxidase.
The almond ortholog of the peach MYC transcription factor ppa022201m is a
very good candidate for being the Sk gene, as its expression was found to be
higher in the tegument tissue of a sweet genotype than in a bitter genotype, as
resulting from real-time qPCR.
Overall, we believe that this thesis might be of interest for basic research
and applied breeding. Currently, we are testing newly identified CAPS
polymorphisms on several almond genotypes, in order to test their possible
applicability in practical breeding programs, and sequencing the genomic
interval presumably containing the Sk locus in sweet and bitter almond
genotypes. Moreover, we are carrying out studies addressed to the functional
characterization of MYB transcription factor above mentioned which is a
candidate for being the Sk gene
Epistemology of information systems: Time for something new? Positivism, interpretivism, and beyond
No full textMost of the major successes in IS field have occurred outside the scope of academic research (and of consulting activities). The central thesis of this paper is that such a “crisis of relevance” of IS research is (also) due to the quaint epistemological status that the discipline inherited from social sciences. Two epistemological approaches, in fact, are being put in practice in IS field research today: positivism and interpretivism. These are glorious and consistent approaches, but they are both rooted in a nineteenth-century, old-fashioned vision of science (the former to carry on its tradition, the latter to criticize and subvert it). Furthermore, positivism and interpretivism, by their own basic assumptions, deny validity to each other’s outcomes, and this results in a sort of “epistemological apartheid” that causes further damages to the discipline.
Is a different epistemological approach possible? A new one, seeking to better receive the extraordinary amount of complex, original contributions that the last century has supplied about the question «how do we know?»? The paper attempts to trace some essential lines of a proposal, and gives some very brief, but concrete examples about a new, “eco-humanistic” approach to IS research
L’ospedale come organizzazione traslazionale: la ricerca clinica tra logica della cura e logica dell’innovazione
Full text linkNell’ottica della medicina traslazionale, i “research hospital” sono motori di innovazione che debbono rispondere ad un doppio ordine di aspettative: da un lato offrire servizi sanitari di eccellenza, dall’altro contribuire alla sostenibilità e alla competitività del sistema sanitario. Come far interagire costruttivamente queste due diverse logiche istituzionali nell’organizzazione ospedaliera
Inter-organizational relationships. Towards a Dynamic Model for Understanding Business Network Performance
No full textOrganizations are strongly influenced by their inter-organizational relationships; moreover, these relationships may generate important externalities, both positive and negative, impacting the environment at several levels. The advent of the Internet era, on the other hand, is resulting in disruptive changes in traditional inter-organizational networks, and some completely new inter-organizational settings are rising.
This book reviews all the most cited theories explaining inter-organizational phenomena: Transaction Costs Economics, Agency Theory, Resource Dependence Theory, Game Theories, Collaborative Networks theory, Institutional theories, Organizational Ecology, Resource Based – Relational Based View of the firm, Knowledge Networks – Social Networks theories. Moreover, it thoroughly reviews the literature on some key IT-enabled emerging inter-organizational systems, such as virtual organizations, e-intermediators and e-marketplaces.
Then, the case of Yoox Group, a leading firm offering e-commerce services for fashion and design products, is presented. Finally, a framework is proposed to systematically link the different possible types of inter-organizational relationships to specific, suitable sets of theories. The range of possible inter-organizational relationships is described on the basis of three pairs of opposites: conformism-breach, exploitation-exploration, cooperation-competition. This results in a model allowing the integrated use of different theories and the study of the effects of inter-organizational ambidexterity and dynamism on performances
The challenge of Service Oriented Performances for Chief Information Officers
No full textIn the emerging service-centred economy, even the most physical product is “wrapped” in services. Businesses tend, then, to become more and more information-intensive and networked. In this scenario, the business role of Information Management is crucial. This paper investigates management literature as to the role of the highest ranking executive in charge of Information Systems, i.e. the Chief Information Officer (CIO). We found that, in the 1980s and first 1990s, most literature suggested that CIOs were to be intended as staff, strategy-making managers, similar to CFOs; but since the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s, CIOs are also expected to work side by side with line managers and to give perceivable contribution to profits. In this scenario, the active contribution of Information Management in developing value-added services may transform IT from a perceived cost center to a perceived profit center within the organization. In the Conclusions, some suggestions for further research are presented
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