Female-owned innovative startups in Italy: status quo and implications

The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of the current literature of this business phenomenon with regard to gender studies and to point out what is substantially happening and what has happened in the Italian economic context. The main research questions were RQ1: How is the phenomenon of female Startups treated from a scientific point of view? RQ2: Which is the Italian situation of this phenomenon? The methodology used is both qualitative and explorative. A bidirectional analysis has been carried out for this purpose. In order to expand the first research question (RQ1), an analysis was carried out of the articles in the EBSCO database on the topic of female startups. In order to expand the second question (RQ2), an analysis was carried out on the data concerning the phenomenon of female startups, using the register of companies held at the Chambers of Commerce which were territorially competent. Our research, carried out within the Italian economic context, demonstrates how the phenomenon of Woman Startups (WSU), even if it is widely expanding, is inherent in all the typical elements of female entrepreneurship, as reported in the literature by gender scholars. The main factors that emerge for the WSU are the small size and the undercapitalization in the startup phase. This work contributes to the expansion of studies on the topic of startups in the context of gender and can be useful to the social context, new entrepreneurs, and practitioners of the sector

Concerns and Expectations of Risk-Reducing Surgery in Women with Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome

Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer syndrome (HBOC) carriers face complex decisions, which might affect their fertility and body image. Using an anonymous 40-items questionnaire we evaluated the expectations and concerns about Risk-Reducing Surgery (RRS) in 204 carriers. Participants are well-informed about the options to manage cancer risk, and women with previous cancer are more concerned with screening failure. Satisfaction with RR Mastectomy is high, even if many carriers are unsatisfied with reconstructed breast feel and nipple-areola complex tactile sensation and those with previous breast cancer report a change in their sexual habits. The decrease of libido and vaginal dryness are the most complained symptoms after RR Salpingo-Oophorectomy. Nevertheless, most carriers would choose RRS again, due to cancer risk or screening-related stress reduction. Women who deferred RRS are more afraid of menopausal symptoms and cancer risk than those who had undergone or declined surgery. Women who declined RRS feel well-informed and trust screening procedures. In conclusion, HBOC carriers consider themselves well-informed and able to choose the best option for their condition, would choose RRS again because of cancer risk and screening-related stress reduction, and those who delay RRS face a higher preoperative level of concern and need support

Axillary dissection in patients with preoperative positive nodal cytology: Genuine need or overtreatment?

Recent studies demonstrated the possibility to avoid axillary dissection (ALND) in selected patients with one or two metastatic nodes. Otherwise, patients with positive nodal ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (US-FNAC) currently undergo ALDN. The aim of this study is to quantify the nodal burden in patients with positive US-FNAC treated with ALND and to evaluate if clinical or pathological characteristics associated with low nodal involvement can be identified. This is a multicentric retrospective study involving 297 patients who underwent ALND because of a positive preoperative US-FNAC. A total of 157 patients showed bulky axillary lymph nodes at diagnosis, and 70% of them had three or more metastatic nodes. One hundred and forty patients had a clinically negative axilla and in 50% of them, 4 or more metastatic nodes were found with axillary dissection. Overall, the median number of metastatic nodes was 5. Favorable pathological characteristics of tumors were found in patients with only one or two metastatic nodes: smaller primary tumor, a lower proportion of grade 3, invasive lobular carcinomas and a higher proportion of low-Ki67 tumors. In the group of patients with clinically negative axilla and potentially meeting ACOSOG Z0011 criteria, 22 (31%) showed less than three metastatic axillary nodes. A preoperative positive axillary FNAC is associated with a metastatic nodal burden significantly higher than in patients with positive sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). Nevertheless, about 30% of patients with cN0 axilla, positive axillary FNAC performed because of suspicious nodes on imaging, T1-2 primary tumor and breast-conserving surgery showed less than three metastatic axillary nodes, thus meeting ACOSOG Z0011 trial's criteria and therefore would be eligible for skipping ALND according to current guidelines

Business incubators vs start-ups: a sustainable way of sharing knowledge

Purpose In recent years the role of business incubators (BIs) within the small-medium enterprise (SME) dimension has grown fast, supporting SMEs, especially during the early stage. For these reasons, this paper aims to investigate how BI supports entrepreneurs in the early stage and what specific instruments are used? What kinds of relations do start-ups use (RQ2)? Finally, the authors intend to explore the long-term influence of these relationships on the economic value of the start-ups (RQ3)? Design/methodology/approach The present paper is supported by a qualitative methodology of a single case study. To reach the declared goal in terms of relationship observation, the paper applies the CAOS model (Paoloni, 2021), an interpretative model useful for analysing the relational capital within the SME dimension. Findings This first explanatory research confirms the crucial role of the BI in the firm’s development process. Especially in the early stage, the knowledge transfer from the BI allows the start-up to overcome its main difficulties: the organizational aspect and finance capacity. Research limitations/implications The limitation concerns the number of start-ups observed. Future lines of research will be focused on the study of other firms to acquire more data on the topic of BI programmes and start-ups. Practical implications The managerial implication refers to advancing knowledge and practice in the area of knowledge sharing actuated by BIs. The present work underlines the importance of relational capital as an intangible asset in the development of the younger company. Originality/value This paper contributes to two different fields: knowledge sharing by relational capital and gender studies

The relationship value from incubators to female start-ups

The purpose of this paper is to investigate if the knowledge transfer process comes from business incubators can improve the female startups’ competitive advantage in terms of the attractiveness of financial resources and subsequent acquisition by larger companies. This paper is a part of ongoing research on the gender studies field and it focuses on the study of relationship evolution between the woman startup (WSU) and its business incubator (BI), during three main company lifecycle stage: i) start-up or early stage, ii) equity- crowdfunding campaign and iii) the acquisition of WSU by a larger company. The qualitative methodology of a single case study was adopted. Particularly, thanks to a dynamism approach of the CAOS model is possible to observe, during the time, how the relationships’ evolution can contribute, in term of relational capital, to reach the declared goal. Assuming that variable (S) refers to the sustainability of the woman startup and identify the stages before, during, and after the equity crowdfunding campaign, it was needed to apply a triplication to the variable (S). Utilizing this framework, it is possible to recognize which types of relationships acquired by the female entrepreneur during the incubation phase, has reverberated in the following life-cycle phases until its acquisition by a larger company. Findings show that BI’s knowledge transfer process plays a central role in the development of woman start-up. Especially, it is possible to appreciate how knowledge transferred not regards only to the company dimension but it increases the personal sphere of entrepreneur that, thanks to the skills acquired, she will continue to retain a strategic management role also into the new company – after the M&A. This paper contributes to the literature in three different fields: i) gender studies; ii) knowledge transfer process and the relational capital; iii) the use of alternative ways of finance. Limitations concern the SMEs (startup) dimension. Analysis of data has been available only through direct interviews with the female entrepreneur. Future research perspectives will be focused on the acquisition of more data on the topic of woman startup and crowdfunding to reply the analysis by multiple case studies and try to understand which relational capital’s factors recurring for the sustainability of the start-up

Knowledge resources in the University context: An overview of the literature

Purpose – The aim of this work is to identify and analyze the main areas on which researchers have focused in relation to intellectual capital (IC) and its management in the university context. This review will also analyze how these researchers carried out their work to understand future research directions. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis was conducted through a structured literature review (SLR) of 866 research contributions (articles, book chapters and books). An analysis of the content was performed to identify the main topics discussed and to ascertain how these studies were carried out. Findings – This paper highlights how the management of knowledge resources (as IC) has been discussed in the literature, focusing specifically on how universities report the information, which is fundamental for allowing stakeholders to understand the value created by these kinds of organizations. Research limitations/implications – The manual analysis of the results of the SLR can be considered a limitation of this work. Another limitation of the work is represented by the use of only one database. Originality/value – This SLR makes several useful contributions for both practitioners and scholars. First, it suggests strengthening the relationship with the external stakeholders to assure the survival of universities. Second, it enables others to replicate scientific research, thanks to its clear and transparent process. It also allows scholars to identify which issues their work should address, as well as suggesting possible future research area