Eco-Innovation Influencers: Unveiling the Role of Lean Management Principles Adoption

This study analyzes the determinant factors of eco-innovation, considering business units with dierent levels of technological intensity (high technology versus low technology). It aims, in the first instance, to complement the approach on the determinants of eco-innovation in the existent literature by incorporating the novelty related to the analysis of the eects arising from the adoption of the lean management principles. Specifically, it aims to analyze the eects of the previously referred to determinant factors both on the economic performance and on the innovative performance of Portuguese industrial and service companies with dierent levels of technological intensity (high-tech versus low-tech). The conceptual model presented is of an innovative nature, since it includes four groups of determinant factors present in the literature, namely technology, market, public policies, and cooperation relationships, and adds a fifth group of determinant factors still to be explored empirically concerning the adoption of lean management principles. In the empirical approach, five research hypotheses arising from the literature review are tested, using secondary data collected from the Community Innovation Survey (CIS)\u2014CIS 2010 for a total sample of 334 companies, made up of 95 high-tech companies and 239 low-tech companies. The conceptual model is tested using a logistic regression method, which indicated a suitable accuracy and reliability for the purposes of empirical tests. The empirical evidence confirms that most of the groups of determinants previously identified in the literature have a significant influence on eco-innovation. In addition, the empirical evidence obtained here indicates a positive and significant eect of lean management principles on eco-innovation

Italian workers in retirement: Reasons for post-retirement activities are influenced from own former job

Aging population is a social phenomenon in Europe characterized by a decrease in fertility and mortality rates, and a higher life expectancy among native Europeans. In Italy, in particular, a growing number of older people are encouraged to delay their retirement due to a range of economic, social and policy changes, and various other reasons to engage in post-retirement work. For this research we considered the following factors: insufficient financial resources, additional income, interesting work, the desire to remain active, valued contribution to society, flexibility, social contact and personal development. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between the intention to remain in work, and work satisfaction in the past career of older workers. We used quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (interview, focus group) methods, to collect and analyze data. Different statistic elaborations were applied to discover the relationships among different variables (i.e. descriptive, inferential, P.value test and Regression Analysis). The findings show how older people in retirement want to be appreciated. Their motivation and satisfaction depends on their past carrier and these variables push them to stay at work for a longer time

Avaliação do Ensino de Empreendedorismo entre Estudantes Universitários por meio do Perfil Empreendedor

Entrepreneurship is a socioeconomic phenomenon that has been valued for its influence on the growth and development of regional and national economies. The main promoter of this phenomenon are entrepreneurs, subjects endowed with multiple features that make up their profiles. They are dynamic and results oriented, benefitting from the fruits of their own personal efforts. Entrepreneurial education is highlighted as one of the most efficient ways to promote an entrepreneurial culture and train new entrepreneurs. However, some difficulty has been observed in assessing the effectiveness of teaching and learning this subject. The objective of this study was to analyze, by means of multivariate techniques, an instrument whose function is to measure the learning of Entrepreneurship, verifying the change in entrepreneur profiles of 407 college students participating or not in an entrepreneurial training process. The results showed that students who participated in Entrepreneurship educational training activities showed significant changes in their entrepreneurial profiles. The main contributions showed growth in the Self-realization, Planner, Innovative and Risks Assumed dimensions

Work Values and Family Businesses Choices

Abstract Family businesses are very dependent on decision-making by the owner-manager. The personal beliefs and values system of the decision-maker (owner) create a framework that guides adoption and rejection of goals and consequent behavior; similarly, beliefs and values influence daily choices of a family business. Work values have a more specific meaning than general values and this research intends to emphasize the link between the owner\u2019s work values and selected organizational choices. We have found that specific orientation work values emerged which is significantly related to specific organizational choices and that certain value orientations characterized different generations present in the company. These considerations have implications for the ongoing choices and future of numerous family businesses

Work values and small business behaviour

Small businesses (SMEs) are very dependent on little groups of decision-makers. This research intends to highlight the link between the decision-maker\u2019s work values and organizational behaviour. The instruments used are the Italian version of the Questionnaire Work Importance Study/Work Values Scale and an in-depth interview; subjects are 47 SME owners. We found that specific orientation work values emerged which are significantly correlated to specific organizational choices: Materialistic-Orientation with (negative) spin-off behaviour in employees, Self-Orientation with presence of company\u2019s web page, Other-Orientation with presence of company\u2019s web page and membership in Entrepreneurial Associations, Independence-Orientation with hiring of foreigners (negative)

Valori, processi decisionali e comportamenti: riflessioni su teorie e modelli proposti dalla letteratura

Riassunto Il presente lavoro si propone di raccogliere e permettere una riflessione ragionata sullo studio dei valori all\u2019interno dei processi decisionali individuali e organizzativi. Dalla necessaria analisi che la letteratura tradizionalmente propone delle teorie sul decision making (normative e non normative) si giunge ad illustrare gli effetti e la forza che i valori possono avere nel prendere decisioni (sia quando riguardano esiti personali che scelte organizzative e di impresa)

Analisi di genere dei dati

Il volume presenta risultati e considerazioni a conclusione del progetto biennale dal titolo \u201cPolitiche di inclusione sociale e lavorativa per categorie deboli di neolaureate e studentesse di Scienze della Formazione e Scienze della Comunicazione\u201d. Il progetto si configura come un insieme di azioni tese ad indagare e fotografare la situazione lavorativa dei laureati in due facolt\ue0 cosiddette deboli. Prendendo le mosse da una precedente ricerca longitudinale condotta nel 2003 presso l\u2019Ateneo Veronese dallo stesso Prof. G. Favretto sui laureati in scienze della formazione, il progetto ha approfondito da un lato lo studio vocazionale, formativo e professionale di questi laureati e, dall\u2019altro, i bisogni formativi, in rapporto alla ricettivit\ue0 del mercato del lavoro. Il lavoro si arricchisce di esperienze, considerazioni e confronti espressamente dedicati a quei gruppi nei quali le difficolt\ue0 si presentano con maggiore forza: le donne e i residenti nelle zone pi\uf9 lontane dalle sedi universitarie e lavorative

Orientamento all\u2019imprenditorialit\ue0: una innovazione metodologica

Sommario Il presente contributo si propone di presentare alcune innovazioni concettuali e metodologiche relative all\u2019orientamento e all\u2019imprenditorialit\ue0. Vengono infatti illustrate le premesse teoriche, le metodologie e le attivit\ue0 svolte dal Centro Imprenditoria Giovanile dell\u2019Universit\ue0 di Verona (centro universitario che da anni opera per favorire lo sviluppo dell\u2019imprenditorialit\ue0 nei giovani). Dopo un breve accenno alle motivazioni socio-economiche del territorio di riferimento che inducono all\u2019orientamento imprenditoriale si analizzano le caratteristiche dell\u2019orientamento nella fase di inserimento professionale post formazione superiore e universitaria in relazione alla figura dell\u2019imprenditore. La parte finale si concentra sulla presentazione di percorsi multidisciplinari di orientamento e formazione (di gruppo e individuali) all\u2019imprenditorialit\ue0, realizzati con il supporto di uno strumento di valutazione del potenziale imprenditoriale (il Test di Attitudine Imprenditoriale)