Traditional Governance and Innovative Strategies in Italian Family SMEs: Evidence from Tuscany

Governance in family businesses is a relatively recent research topic in the field of management studies. Much research has sought to shed light on the factors that shape the relationship between governance structures and corporate strategies. Nevertheless, very little research has specifically addressed the relationships between the configuration of the Board of Directors and the firm’s willingness to carry out innovative strategies. Our study aims to shed light on the relationship between the corporate governance structures and the pace of innovation within family SMEs. Evidence from three long-lived family-owned SMEs located in Tuscany (Italy) highlights that the intensity of the innovation processes may not be tied to the Board’s composition

Dibattito su Storie di imprese

Storie di imprese (TAO Digital Library, 2010), dedicated to the organizational transformations of five enterprises (Fiat Auto, Finmeccanica, Ciba Specialty chemicals, Zurich, Poste Italiane) during the 2000-2010 decade, stimulated a wide debate. This publication, which collects the commentaries and discussions of three seminar that took place in different Universities with the participation of scholars from different disciplines, continues the reflection about the crucial question: How do enterprises change

J.D. Thompson’s Organizations in Action 50th anniversary: a reflection

At the 50th anniversary of James D. Thompson’s fundamental book, Organizations in Action, TAO Digital Library proposes a reflection on this great master’s legacy and the evolution of organizational studies. Twelve researchers, from different disciplinary fields, analyze both the texts utilized for teaching and the contribution of several important journals, particularly in recent decades. The outcome is an overall picture that may stimulate different, divergent evaluations and, even more importantly, desirable, deeper reflections

Sostenibilità, imprese, lavoro. Una riflessione critica

In recent years, sustainability has become a very relevant issue in many areas of human experience and activity. Calls for radical transformations aimed at coping with sustainability constraints originated from a variety of realms and institutions, including academia, media, political actors, business companies and others. Despite the pervasiveness of such discourse, questions such as what is the actual meaning of sustainability, and how it can be promoted, are still unresolved. This ebook proposes a critical reflection through contributions from different disciplinary perspectives (economics, organization theory, psychology, labor law), addressing sustainability's difficulties, contradictions, and paradoxes. The goal is to help developing a better understanding of the complexity of this theme, while avoiding the risk of reducing sustainability to a mere slogan when, instead, it could become a concrete lever for change

Rider at work: una lettura multidisciplinare

The debate on the problems of light-delivery rider work and, more in general, of the work in the gig economy, is rich and extensive. The problems posed to the interpretation of these increasingly relevant phenomena are numerous and exposed to changes both on the supply and demand side. However, they can be traced back to the configuration of the subjects at work, of the work activity, of the enterprises involved. This ebook presents contributions addressing these issues from different disciplinary points of view. The proposed interpretations allow useful comparisons and may constitute the beginning of a broader and more articulated discussion

A calculator program for clinical application of the Bayesian method of predicting plasma drug levels

A pharmacokinetic program that allows individualization of drug dosage regimens through the Bayesian method is described. The program, which is designed for the Hewlett-Packard HP-41 CV calculator, is based upon the one-compartment open model with either instantaneous or zero-order absorption. Individualized estimation of the patient's kinetic parameters (clearance and volume of distribution) is performed by analyzing the plasma levels measured in the patient as well as considering the population data of the drug. After estimating the individual kinetic parameters by the Bayesian method, the program predicts the dosage regimen that will elicit the desired peak and trough plasma levels at steady state. For comparison purposes, the least-squares estimates for clearance and volume of distribution are calculated, and dosage prediction can also be made on the basis of the least-squares estimates. The least-squares estimates can be used to calculate population pharmacokinetic parameters according to the Standard Two-Stage method.Several examples of clinical use of the program are presented. The examples refer to patients with classic hemophilia who were treated with Factor VIII concentrates. In these patients, the Bayesian kinetic parameters of Factor VIII have been estimated through the calculator program. The Bayesian parameter estimates generated by the HP-41 have been compared with those determined by a Bayesian program (ADVISE) designed for microcomputers.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/25858/1/0000421.pd