1,721,012 research outputs found
The adoption of laser technology in Italian Art restoration firms: the role of suppliers and clients
No full textDespite the importance of the art restoration sector in Italy, as well as in many other European countries, this industry has often been ignored by management studies. For these reasons this study focused on Italian art restoration firms, with particular reference to their adoption of innovative technologies such as laser technology.
The literature has widely emphasized the influence of external agents in the processes of adopting new technologies, above all in the case of small or medium-sized firms, and for those particularly linked to external forces such as suppliers and clients due to economic, regulatory and structural reasons. The study, supported by a qualitative analysis and a comparison with previously acquired quantitative data, contributes to a more comprehensive description of the art restoration sector and, analysing the role of suppliers and clients, completes the adoption model of technology innovation developed in previous research on laser technology (Verbano, Venturini, Nosella, Petroni, 2008).
The results identify the factors related to restoration firms, suppliers and clients that influence the adoption of laser and outline some suggestions to encourage its adoption in the particularly complex sector of art conservation
Managing Risks in SMEs: a Literature Review and Research Agenda
No full textIn times of crisis, companies need to carefully monitor current expenses and forecast potential costs, which could be
caused by risky actions. Risk is inherent in all business functions and in every kind of activity. Knowing how to identify risks,
attribute a value and a priority scale, design actions and mechanisms to minimize risks, and continuously monitor them, are
essential to guarantee companies’ survival and create sustainable value. This is especially true for small- and medium-sized
businesses that are most exposed to the harmful effects of the risks, due to limited resources and structural features. The
objective of this study is to analyze available literature on the subject of risk management for small- and medium-sized
enterprises from 1999 to 2009. The analysis derives interesting characteristics from the scientific studies, highlighting gaps
and guidelines for future research
Development paths of risk management: approaches, methods and fields of application
No full textIn the most recent stage of development of modern society, the growing complexity and dynamism of the contexts firms operate in has led to a relentless increase in the level of risk in all areas of firms' management and activities. For this reason, the discipline and practice of risk management (RM) has taken hold more and more in very different sectors and contexts: from nuclear to supply chain to healthcare. The evolutionary path of RM has followed distinct paths of development that have adopted specific perspectives and, backed by different cultural matrices, led to unique approaches and methods. The aim of this paper is to provide a contribution to the identification and characterization of new paths of development based on a thorough analysis of the academic and managerial literature. This taxonomy can serve as an integrated reference to the RM discipline allowing those who deal with RM to identify and characterize the most suitable paths of development for a given context, within a comprehensive framework. This study can also promote a sort of 'cross fertilization' between experts in specific areas of RM as has been the case of clinical RM which draws from the experience gained in the field of complex engineering systems
Technology transfer in the Italian space industry: organizational issues and determinants
No full textPurpose – In today’s competitive market, organizations are increasingly aware of the need to
exchange the technologies, experience and knowledge they have developed in order to access new
markets and revenue streams. They also recognize the need to acquire new technologies and
knowledge from the external environment in order to exploit their ideas and create new products.
Technology transfer (TT) is defined as the process for the passing and subsequent use of technology,
expertise, know-how or facilities for a purpose not originally intended by the developing organization.
Above all, the transfer of space technology is recognized as complex, even though it is increasingly
adopted: space technologies can, for example, be adopted for healthcare products, improved waste
management and water recovery, as well as by manufacturers. Notwithstanding, few studies have
focused on the TT process inside the space sector. The purpose of this paper is to verify which process
and what determinants result in the transfer of space technologies to other industrial sectors.
Design/methodology/approach – This study has the final aim of developing the model of a
transfer path suitable for the space industry. Specifically, the authors investigated two cases of TT,
which have been promoted by an Italian systems integration company and supported by the National
Research Council (CNR) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
Findings – From an organizational viewpoint, some main differences related to the TT path emerge.
Regarding the determinants, the study confirms other studies, i.e. that the most important
determinants are the integrability, flexibility and high reliability of the technology, the availability of
financial resources, followed by the technological versatility, and the level of R&D competences and
knowledge of the receiver organization.
Originality/value – The technological innovation literature has, as yet, paid little attention to the
TT process into non-space areas from the space sector. In order to fill this gap, the paper contributes to
broadening the knowledge base on the determinants for TT success in the space sector
Open innovation in public sector: research-based spin-offs resources and performance”,
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to verify and improve the framework assessing the evolution and importance of the technological, human, social and financial resources of an Indian research-based spin-off (RBSO) throughout its four stages of development by Vohora et al. (2004).
Design/methodology/approach
The open innovation (OI) phenomenon is spreading among public organizations. One of the OI practices used by the public research centers to market their technologies is to set up new business entities called RBSOs. Many studies have focused on spin-offs but there are still some gaps. To overcome the existing limitations, the authors built a framework which they tested on three previous case studies.
Findings
The results obtained show how a parent organization and its incubator can play fundamental roles in creating and developing a successful RBSO. This is done by supplying managerial staff and providing access to skills, funds and other material and immaterial resources.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of this study are related to the sectoral and geopolitical factors of the single case analyzed. For this reason, the observations that emerge should be supported by other empirical analyses.
Originality/value
The findings of this study can offer a better understanding of the spin-off life to managers, researchers, public organizations and government agencies. They can learn how to improve policies and practices of technology transfer and strengthen the national industrial system
The Adoption of Laser Technology in Italian Art Restoration Firms: the Role of Suppliers and Clients
No full textDespite the importance of the art restoration sector in Italy, as well as in many other European countries, this industry has often been ignored by management studies. For these reasons this study focused on Italian art restoration firms, with particular reference to their adoption of innovative technologies such as laser technology.
The literature has widely emphasized the influence of external agents in the processes of adopting new technologies, above all in the case of small or medium-sized firms, and for those particularly linked to external forces such as suppliers and clients due to economic, regulatory and structural reasons. The study, supported by a qualitative analysis and a comparison with previously acquired quantitative data, contributes to a more comprehensive description of the art restoration sector and, analysing the role of suppliers and clients, completes the adoption model of technology innovation developed in previous research on laser technology (Verbano, Venturini, Nosella, Petroni, 2008). The results identify the factors related to restoration firms, suppliers and clients that influence the adoption of laser and outline some suggestions to encourage its adoption in the particularly complex sector of art conservation
Space technology transfer: Spin-off Cases from Japan
No full textGovernment organizations have to justify high expenditure during periods of financial crisis such as the one we are experiencing today. Space agencies have attempted to increase the returns on their investments in space missions by encouraging the commercial use of advanced technologies. This paper describes two technology transfer (TT) cases promoted by JAXA, in order to identify the organizational models and determinants of TT. The development of a TT process from space to Earth not only benefits the aerospace industry but also the network of national companies. The aim of the paper is to investigate who the actors are and the nature of their role, as well as the determinants of the TT process in the Japanese space sector. The case studies confirm the typical path of transfer as 'Earth space Earth'. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Open Innovation in Firms Located in the Republic of San Marino
No full textOpening up the innovation process to include collaboration with external partners is an increasingly common practice among firms. Not only are large firms, driven by the need to increase their knowledge in order to develop complex products, opening up their company boundaries during the phases of the innovation process, but also small and medium-sized firms appear to have understood the usefulness of forming alliances and building networks in order to compete in the knowledge economy. This paper aims to further investigate the actors, the phases of the innovation process, the dynamics and the determinants that prompt businesses in a small state such as San Marino, to collaborate in innovation beyond their company and territorial boundaries. The research involved selecting forty-two of the most innovative companies within the state, conducting interviews with the company directors or persons in charge of R&D, and processing the collected data. From an academic point of view, the results for the most part confirm the literature, whereas from a management point of view, they are especially useful to company directors and government agencies in activating, supporting and guiding innovation policies
Open Innovation Profiles in Italian Manufacturing Companies
No full textA new approach, characterized by the company’s ability to draw on a range of external sources to meet their needs for innovation, has been termed ‘open innovation’. The literature in recent years has investigated this new paradigm of open innovation, analyzing various aspects, such as the determinants (variables in terms of context and business strategies), changes in the innovation process, impact on performance and barriers to the development of this approach. Despite this, very few empirical analyses have been conducted and in general these analyses have not focused on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
The study's objective is to identify and characterize different profiles of openness towards the external environment, and it has been conducted on Italian manufacturing firms, i.e. a context which is highly characterized by SMEs. A web-based online questionnaire survey was carried out and a database of 97 manufacturing companies was obtained. With regard to data elaboration, a K-means cluster analysis and a univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to identify different profiles of open innovation and verify the significance levels of differences between clusters.
First results suggest that two clusters with different levels of openness can be found. In the cluster analysis group membership is significantly influenced by open innovation, employees' innovation capability, internal open innovation practices, aggressive technology strategy, ICT adoption, employee development, and by context variables such as company size in terms of number of employees and performance. This study represents one of the few empirical studies on open innovation in SMEs, and also in Italian companies, and it intends to contribute to the understanding of the characteristics and implications of open innovation
Space technology transfer: a systematic literature review
No full textTechnology transfer has been shown to stimulate innovation in business and commerce, support economic
growth and provide a return on public investment in R&D. This is particularly true for space technologies characterized by a
very high innovative value and production in small quantities. The aim of this paper is to systematically review the space
technology transfer literature and to suggest directions for future research. The transfer of space technology has been
studied by academic researchers, managers of space agencies and government ministry officials. The range of studies calls
for a systematic review of the literature aimed at synthesizing the findings from individual studies or reports in an unbiased
manner, so as to present a balanced and impartial summary and to interpret the findings in a way that highlights the
research gaps in this important field of research. This paper presents an overview of the dominant thinking (made explicit
in the selected articles) from the 1995 until today, indicating problems of analysis, research gaps and a future research
agenda
- …
