Dealing with the tensions between innovation and internationalization in SMEs: A dynamic capability view

Previous literature disagrees on the fact that innovation and internationalization are decisions with a complementary effect on the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) performance. We reconcile the contrasting views on this topic by using a dynamic capability perspective. We show that the simultaneous involvement in research and development (R&D) and export activities positively impacts SMEs’ profitability when such firms collaborate with universities and research centers, or when their international experience involves a diverse set of geographical markets. The magnitude of these moderations is different for low and high performers, thereby showing the lack of a “one best way” to successfully achieve complementarity between R&D and internationalization decisions

ICT AND THE CHANGING NATURE OF COMPETITION: EVIDENCE FROM INFORMATION INTENSIVE INDUSTRIES IN ITALY

Despite the increasing interest over the transformations induced by ICT on industry structure and competition, there is still not a unified view on the effects of ICT on industrial change. On the one hand, ICT is expected to bring more competition, to reduce entry barriers and to leave more opportunities for small entrepreneurial firms. On the other hand, there is evidence of the increased market concentration favoured by ICT. The changing nature of competition has been so far studied more at firm level and more of the empirical evidence is for highly information intensive economies like the US. This paper tries to bridge this gap analysing 209 industries in Italy between 2002 and 2011. Our results show a significant effect of ICT on industry dynamics. Firstly, we find that information intensive industries showed a higher productivity, a higher market concentration and a greater profit dispersion compared to their counterparts, thus extending related studies that identify mechanisms for ICTenabled value creation in US. Secondly, we do not find phenomena of hi-growth of SMEs in information intensive industries as a consequence of the limited capability of Italian SMEs to use ICT to start hi-growth entrepreneurial ventures, differently from what happens in other countries

The impact of Airbnb on the economic performance of independent hotels: an empirical investigation of the moderating effects

The evidence on the effect that sharing economy accommodation platforms have on the performance of hotels is not univocal, and a general picture about the circumstances under which hotels may suffer the least from this disruption is still missing. This paper contributes to bridge this gap by examining the role that contingent factors can play in reducing the negative impact of Airbnb on the profitability growth of independent hotels. We examine whether the attractiveness of the city zone where hotels are located and their online reputation moderate the effect that the usage of Airbnb listings has on the profitability growth of independent hotels. Using a panel dataset of a sample of 725 independent hotels located in six Italian cities with high tourism attractiveness, and by triangulating ISTAT, AIDA, AirDNA, TripAdvisor and Trustyou datasets, we found that the negative effect of Airbnb on the profitability growth of hotels is reduced when the hotels are located in attractive city zones. However, the online reputation of hotels does not have any significant moderating effect on the relationship investigated. We discuss how these results contribute to understand competitive dynamics in the hotel industry through a lens based on the disruptive innovation theory

Una nuova istruzione per preparare l’Italia alla rivoluzione 4.0

Il report pubblicato su Agenda Digitale descrive l'impatto della trasformazione digitale sui cosiddetti "middle-skill worker", tecnici e operai specializzati a contatto con la linea operativa che vedranno maggiormente trasformato il loro modo di lavorare con l'avvento della digitalizzazione, e delinea brevemente i relativi bisogni di investimenti in formazione continua e integrazione tra università, istituti tecnici e ITS per favorire reskilling, upskilling, e una ritrovata attrattività dei percorsi professionalizzanti

How to Measure the ET-ET Construct for Ambidexterity Comparative Analysis of Measures and New Measurement Proposal

Although there is broad agreement that ambidexterity somehow relates to the simultaneous pursuit of exploratory and exploitative activities, a lack of conceptual clarity exists regarding the extent to which ambidexterity concerns matching the magnitude (BD) of exploration and exploitation on a relative basis, or concerns the combined magnitude (CD) of both activities. This fragmentation has inspired different operationalization of the construct and limited its usefulness, both for scholars and practitioners, since interpretations, comparisons and analysis between cross studies or research have become more difficult. This article proposes and tests an alternative measure of ambidexterity, which attempts to simultaneously and explicitly include in an overall index both the combined (CD) and the balanced dimension (BD)