Managing open innovation projects: an evidence-based framework for SMEs and large companies cooperation

Purpose – How can joint open innovation (OI) projects between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies (LCs) be effectively managed? This study aims to try to answer this research question with a focus on the critical success factors (CSFs) of such cooperation. Design/methodology/approach – Based on 40 semi-structured interviews with Italian SMEs and LCs engaged in various industries, 20 open OI projects involving SMEs and LCs are investigated using a reflexive thematic analysis, a methodology involving both deductive and inductive approaches. Findings – Fifteen CSFs grouped into seven categories emerge from the analysis of joint OI projects between SMEs and LCs. Among them, shared leadership, dynamic decision-making and priority setting emerge as essential elements at the basis of the proposed SMEs–LCs cooperation in joint OI projects that were not sufficiently addressed by prior studies. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to provide an evidence- based framework for managing joint OI projects between SMEs and LCs. Relatedly, this study links the practices and most recurring CSFs that facilitate such cooperation. Keywords Decision-making, Open innovation, Critical success factors, Small and medium-sized enterprises, Strategic flexibility, Large companies, Knowledge and innovation management, Project managemen

Infodemia e pandemia: la cognitive warfare ai tempi del SARS-CoV-2

With the appearance of SARS-CoV-2, two epidemics have spread: one for health and one for information. The virus has generated an unprecedented infodemic, contributing to the establishment of a climate of great uncertainty. Massive and redundant information has also been an effective vector of propaganda, on a global scale, by state and non-state actors. A real hostile act in which physical violence is not foreseen, but systematic management of information through the manipulation of the cognitive sphere. For this reason, the adoption of an attitude of active critical analysis by citizens and institutions and also the implementation of common policies at an international level could undoubtedly facilitate the fight against cognitive warfare (so-called cognitive warfare) and therefore limit its disastrous effects.Comment: in Italian languag

Behavior or culture? Investigating the use of cryptocurrencies for electronic commerce across the USA and China

Purpose – This paper claims to identify the behavioral and cultural features that push to use, or not, cryptocurrencies for electronic commerce. Indeed, despite the use of cryptocurrencies for electronic commerce spreading worldwide at a fast and growing pace, there are supporters and detractors among their users. The analysis of what distinguish these two groups of users is fundamental for understanding their different intention to use cryptocurrencies for electronic commerce. Design/methodology/approach – A survey has been administered to 2,532 cryptocurrencies’ users across the USA and China, collecting data on their behavioral predispositions and cultural features. Results were then analyzed through structured equation modeling. Findings – Results showed that while attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and herding behavior have a positive impact on the intention to use cryptocurrencies for electronic commerce, financial literacy has no influence. Cultural dimensions amplified or reduced the discovered relationships and caused different effects: positive for the USA and negative for China when considering illegal attitude and perceived risk. Originality/value – Theory of planned behavior, financial behavior and cultural factors can, all together, represent a useful framework for envisioning the behavior of users in adopting cryptocurrencies for electronic commerce purposes through a test of all its elements. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study considering behavior and cultural variables on the intention to use cryptocurrencies for electronic commerce as well as being the largest carried out, in terms of sample, on the cryptocurrency topic.publishedVersio

Beyond Myth: A Systematic Literature Review on the Emergence of Unicorn Firms

Purpose – This study aims to provide a systematic and comprehensive examination of the underlying factors enabling the emergence of unicorn firms. By addressing this research gap and offering an integrative framework, it seeks to support future research efforts in understanding this phenomenon and contribute to the academic debate around it. Design/methodology/approach – This study employs a systematic literature review (SLR) approach and thematic analysis of articles retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science databases. Findings – The study sheds light on internal characteristics, ranging from the entrepreneurial (human capital and knowledge) to firm-specific level (business model, corporate governance, resources), and external ones related to the funding factors (financial patterns, venture capitalists, firm evaluation) and the ecosystem (entrepreneurial and technology) around the phenomenon of unicorn firms. Originality – This is the first systematic literature review on unicorns that offers insights into the internal and external factors driving the emergence of such firms, contributes to shed light on the main criticalities that blur their understanding, and presents a research agenda for developing this field of research

Cognitive biases' influence on employees' product creativity and product performance: evidences from Italian manufacturing technology firms

Purpose This paper aims to empirically investigate how cognitive biases influence employees' product creativity (EPC) and related product performance. In particular, the paper primarily studies (1) the direct effect of employees' implicit creativity – based on five cognitive biases – and explicit creativity on EPC; and (2) the mediating role of coworkers' heuristic transfer between shared leadership and EPC. Design/methodology/approach Data have been obtained from big Italian manufacturing technology firms through a series of online questionnaires that resulted in 555 answers from R&D employees and their direct managers, who are, respectively, involved and responsible for the proposal of manufacturing technology products. The developed four theoretical hypotheses have been tested through correlation analysis, hierarchical regression, mediation analysis and structured equation modelling. Findings Cognitive biases positively influence EPC in manufacturing technology firms, leading to positive product performance. In particular, implicit creative personality better predicts EPC than explicit creative personality; whilst, shared leadership leads to a cognitive convergence among co-workers through the spread of heuristics that positively influence EPC. Originality/value The originality of this work lies in having: (1) investigated the influence of cognitive biases in creativity, (2) hypothesized and proved that co-workers' heuristic transfer mediates the relationship between shared leadership and EPC; (3) conducted the first specific study on employees' creativity in manufacturing technology firms; and (4) first implemented the implicit creative personality measurement, apart from those who conceptualized it

The Importance of Flavor in SMEFT Electroweak Precision Fits

Effective field theory tools are essential for exploring non-Standard Model physics at the LHC in the absence of the discovery of new light particles. Predictions for observables are typically made at the lowest order in the QCD and electroweak expansions in the Standard Model effective field theory (SMEFT) and often ignore the effects of flavor. Here, we present results for electroweak precision observables (EWPOs)at the next-to-leading order QCD and electroweak expansions (NLO) of the SMEFT with an arbitrary flavor structure for the fermion operators. Numerical NLO SMEFT fits toEWPOs have a strong dependence on the assumed flavor structures and we demonstrate this using various popular assumptions for flavor symmetries.Comment: Supplemental files contain numerical results for EWPOs, $H\rightarrow\gamma\gamma$ and $H\rightarrow Z\gamma$ at NLO QCD and electroweak order in SMEFT for arbitrary flavor structures. Version to be published in JHE

The importance of flavor in SMEFT Electroweak Precision Fits

Abstract Effective field theory tools are essential for exploring non-Standard Model physics at the LHC in the absence of the discovery of new light particles. Predictions for observables are typically made at the lowest order in the QCD and electroweak expansions in the Standard Model effective field theory (SMEFT) and often ignore the effects of flavor. Here, we present results for electroweak precision observables (EWPOs) at the next-to-leading order QCD and electroweak expansions (NLO) of the SMEFT with an arbitrary flavor structure for the fermion operators. Numerical NLO SMEFT fits to EWPOs have a strong dependence on the assumed flavor structures and we demonstrate this using various popular assumptions for flavor symmetries

Gluon Fusion Production at NLO: Merging the Transverse Momentum and the High-Energy Expansions

The virtual corrections to $gg\to HH$ and $gg\to ZH$ are analytically evaluated combining an expansion in the small transverse momentum of the final particles with an expansion valid at high energies. The two expansion methods describe complementary regions of the phase space and we merge their results, extending the range of validity of both expansions using Pad\'e approximants. We show that this approach can reproduce the available numerical results retaining the exact top quark mass dependence with an accuracy well below the 1% level. Our results allow a fast and flexible evaluation of the virtual corrections of the considered processes. Furthermore, they are available in different renormalisation schemes of the top quark mass.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure