Exploring the relationship between types of family involvement and collaborative innovation in design-intensive firms:insights from two leading players in the furniture industry

Innovation in family firms has attracted considerable interest from scholars and practitioners in recent years. However, further theoretical and empirical research is needed to illuminate the intricate relationship between family involvement and innovation. This article studies the effect of different types of family involvement on the management of collaborative innovation. Based on empirical evidence from two leading Italian design-intensive firms in the furniture industry (B&B Italia and Cassina), this study illuminates how family involvement in control and management influences the way design-intensive firms collaborate with external designers to innovate their products. We use two indicators, design renewal and design identity, to capture differences in collaboration approaches through which design-intensive family firms involve external designers. Thus, our findings contribute to understanding how collaborative innovation is managed in family firms. This article also provides family firm owners and managers with insights on the forces that influence the collaborative innovation processes in design-intensive firms

Embedding physical activity in the heart of the NHS: the need for a whole-system approach

Solutions to the global challenge of physical inactivity have tended to focus on interventions at an individual level, when evidence shows that wider factors, including the social and physical environment, play a major part in influencing health-related behaviour. A multidisciplinary perspective is needed to rewrite the research agenda on physical activity if population-level public health benefits are to be demonstrated. This article explores the questions that this raises regarding the particular role that the UK National Health Service (NHS) plays in the system. The National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine in Sheffield is put forward as a case study to discuss some of the ways in which health systems can work in collaboration with other partners to develop environments and systems that promote active lives for patients and staff

Novel Echocardiographic Biomarkers in the Management of Atrial Fibrillation

Purpose of Review: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in adults. The number of patients with AF is anticipated to increase annually, mainly due to the aging population alongside improved arrhythmia detection. AF is associated with a significantly elevated risk of hospitalization, stroke, thromboembolism, heart failure, and all-cause mortality. Echocardiography is one of the key components of routine assessment and management of AF. Therefore, the aim of this review is to briefly summarize current knowledge on “novel” echocardiographic parameters that may be of value in the management of AF patients. Recent Findings: Novel echocardiographic biomarkers and their clinical application related to the management of AF have been taken into consideration. Both standard parameters such as atrial size and volume but also novels like atrial strain and tissue Doppler techniques have been analyzed. Summary: A number of novel echocardiographic parameters have been proven to enable early detection of left atrial dysfunction along with increased diagnosis accuracy. This concerns particularly experienced echocardiographers. Hence, these techniques might improve the prediction of stroke and thromboembolic events among AF patients and need to be further developed and disseminated. Nonetheless, even the standard imaging parameters could be of significant value and should not be discontinued in everyday clinical practice. © 2019, The Author(s)

Indium electrowinning from sulfate solutions: the influence of cathodic support on the process effectiveness

The indium recovery via electrowinning from sulfate baths has recently gained significant attention as it does not present toxic emissions, hermetically sealed system requirements, human health, and environmental hazards. Following previous works related to the optimization process for AISI 316L and Ni cathode, it was observed significant importance of the metal supports on the input and output parameters of the indium electrowinning process from sulfate solutions. Thus, comparing input and output parameters in both cases seems very interesting. Particularly, regarding the input parameters, the attention has been focused on the electrolyte composition, current density, and temperature, while productivity, morphology, and structure have been considered regarding the output parameters. Considering the productivity as the optimal output, the findings for Ni cathode were better than that for AISI 316L in most of the selected conditions studied. In the case of morphology, indium grains appear rounded and dendritic on the AISI 316L, while those on the Ni cathode show stratified lamellar grains. Anyway, the indium deposit obtained on Ni cathode shows bigger grains independently from the used operative conditions with respect to that on AISI 316L. Regarding the structure, it is clearly tetragonal, but preferential orientation, crystallinity, and deformation of the structure strongly depend on the metal support

Radical Innovative Scenarios Enabled By New Technologies: Exploring The Role Of 'Outsider' Partners

The increasingly competitive economy encourages firms to explore new paths to innovation. The combination of design and technology is identified as a critical success factor, particularly during explorative phases of the process, concerned with the envisioning of possible futures. In parallel, external collaborations are recognized as a key element in the development of innovations. The aim of this paper is to clarify the way co-creation with outsiders occur when pursuing technology epiphanies, by understanding the role that ‘outsider’ partners play on the generation of radical innovations that combine technology and meanings. The investigation consequently analyses the managerial implications of handling innovation projects in collaboration with non-usual partners. The research studies the collaboration between the furniture manufacturer [Cassina] with an ‘outsider’ partner [Carlo Ratti Associati] for the co-creation of future scenarios of living. Empirical data is collected through formal project meetings, observation, and informal discussions with project stakeholders. Findings reveal that the involvement of ‘outsiders’ in radical hybrid (technology and meanings) co-creation projects has an impact not only on project outcomes, but also on the practices with which the firm manages these collaborations, suggesting that organisations need to adopt alternative project competences and governance practises towards innovation