Understanding how the strategic similarities between energy companies influence the post-mergers and acquisitions performances

The energy sector has experienced rapid evolution in recent years, following the liberalization of the electricity and natural gas markets, driven by the European Union. These developments have led to a certain level of dynamism in Italy, particularly as concerns mergers and acquisitions (M&As) within the sector. This article examines the influence of strategic similarities between the target and bidder companies on their post-M&A performances. The model used involves a hierarchical regression relating the indexes of similarity between the merging companies, regarding their economic-financial management. The results reveal the influence of the strategic similarities and differences on the post-M&A performances of the companies, showing how the positive or negative effect depends on certain characteristics, such as their structure of share capital, business segments and size. The study evidences the strategic variables that should be considered in choosing the optimal target companies

Explaining the servitization paradox: a configurational theory and a performance measurement framework

Purpose Previous research reports mixed results regarding the performance impact of servitization in manufacturing firms. To resolve this, the purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptually consistent and comprehensive measurement framework for both dimensions, servitization and its performance effect, and apply in a configurational analysis to reexamine previous evidence, arriving at a configurational theory of the relationship between servitization and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach Combining systematic literature review (SLR) and inductive reasoning, the existing indicators for servitization and performance are identified and clustered into groups that adequately represent both dimensions. The dataset is reanalyzed against the resulting framework to identify the configurational patterns and to formulate the theoretical propositions. Findings Financial and nonfinancial indicators of servitization and its performance impact are organized into a comprehensive measurement framework grounded on existing research. The subsequent meta-analysis shows that the positive or negative impacts of servitization on performance depend on how firms implement servitization strategies and which performance aspects are examined. Research limitations/implications The results explain when servitization can be successful and confirm the existence of the so-called servitization paradox. The meta-analysis identified patterns that explain the previous mixed results, shaping a configurational theory of servitization. Thus, the measurement framework is conceptually robust and has sufficient detail to capture servitization and its performance outcome as it feasibly distinguished between different organizational configurations. Originality/value The framework provides a comprehensive portfolio of indicators for both managers and scholars to measure servitization intensity and performance. This supports managers of servitizing firms in leading this organizational transformation while avoiding its organizational and financial paradoxes

A BPMN extension to support discrete-event simulation for healthcare applications:an explicit representation of queues, attributes and data-driven decision points

Stakeholder engagement in simulation projects is important, especially in healthcare where there is a plurality of stakeholder opinions, objectives and power. One promising approach for increasing engagement is facilitated modelling. Currently, the complexity of producing a simulation model means that the ‘model coding’ stage is performed without the involvement of stakeholders, interrupting the possibility of a fully-facilitated project. Early work demonstrated that with currently-available software tools we can represent a simple healthcare process using Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and generate a simulation model automatically. However, for more complex processes, BPMN currently has a number of limitations, namely the ability to represent queues and data-driven decision points. To address these limitations, we propose a conceptual design for an extension to BPMN (BPMN4SIM) using Model Driven Architecture. Application to an elderly emergency care pathway in a UK hospital shows that BPMN4SIM is able to represent a more-complex business process

The competition among mobile network operators in the telecommunication supply chain

In themobiletelecommunicationsector,thehighcompetitivenesshasincreasedthecomplexityof strategic interactionsamongoperators.Astheverticalintegrationhasbecomeanythingbutachoice and notacompellingtechnicalsolution,thecontesttakesplaceatdifferentlevelsofthecomponentsof the operatorvaluechain:thenetworkinfrastructure,theservicedevelopmentandsupply,andthe relationshipwithconsumers. Mobile virtualnetworkoperatorsactasretailersandconcentrateonthelastsegmentofthevalue chain byestablishingcommercialagreementswithhostingnetworkoperators,whichactas manufacturers,togetaccesstoradiocommunicationsinfrastructure.Productiveprocessesofmobile servicesofferedbyoperatorsaredifferentandthisdifferenceisimperceptibletocustomers.Processes differencemainlyconsistsintheinfrastructuraldiversityoftheoperatorsandimpliesdifferent consequencesoneachnetworkserviceelement. A modelhasbeendefinedtoanalyzetheconsequencesofsuchdiversityinthecompetitionamong HNOs, MNOs,andMVNOsbyfocusingtheattentiononthecharacteristicsofthecallpath,in dependenceofthetypesofoperators.Infact,manyvariablesinteracttodefinethecallpath,suchas marginalcostsandrevenues,infrastructuralinvestments,andinterconnectionchargesamong operators.Theanalysisoftheresults,obtainedbythemodel,givesinformationonvariationsofretail prices,marketshares,andprofitallotment,toadopttheproperstrategies.Inparticular,themodel results shedlightonhowcertainMVNOsshouldenterthemarketsandadoptacollaborativestrategy with HNOs.Themodelownsthecapabilityofbeingappliedtodifferentcontexts,thusrepresentingfor the regulatorapotentialinstrumentofrelevantusefulness

Regulation of competition and access of mobile virtual network operators

Mobile termination rate, degree of asymmetry, and degree of substitutability are the elements which mostly characterise the mobile telecommunication market complexity. However, if mobile termination rate is considered as a primary item to be examined and regulated, the degrees of asymmetry and substitutability which characterise and define the structural aspects of the market are often not considered as strategic variable for the market competition. In this paper, a model has been defined to analyse the strategic consequences of the regulatory interventions on modalities about the adoption of mobile termination rates. The analysis of the results obtained by the model, based on numerical simulations, has been focused on retail price strategies, market shares erosion, and profit allotment of real and virtual mobile operators under variations of economic and structural characteristics, in the attempt of providing suggestions for decision, strategic and regulatory process

Modelling the competition of an HNO versus an MVNO in the mobile telecommunications industry

Abstract: This paper analyses the relationship between a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) and its Hosting Network Operator (HNO) in the mobile telecommunications industry. A model is defined to analyse the competition and strategic interactions between the two players and their economic consequences. Two different scenarios are envisaged to observe the effects when varying the interconnection charges and structural characteristics of the operators. The analysis of the results obtained from the model focuses on retail price strategies and on market shares and profits in an attempt to provide recommendations which may be utilised in the decision-making process