The Unexplored Effect of Skills and Technology on Firms' Performance

The aim of this paper is to add new findings to the knowledge based view of the firm, where the cross-learning ability of individuals and organizations plays a fundamental role in the determination of firms' superior performances. Collective, non formal - informal, formal types of learning (learning drivers) contribute to shape the competitiveness of firms, especially in the present knowledge-based economy, where the necessity to respond effectively to frequent external shock (demand, technology, competitive environment driven) emphasizes the importance of being flexible and quickly adaptive. Nevertheless, focusing on learning capacities, and particularly on human skills, often leads to forget or ignore industry effects, such as innovative intensity, which increase the explanatory power of the learning drivers. This work explores the conjoint effect of learning drivers and innovative intensity on firms' performance by showing some evidence from statistical data analysis on the Danish IDA (Integrated Database for Labour Market Research). A sample of firms belonging to the manufacturing industry is studied using data related to the year 1999. The paper proceeds as follows: firstly, the role and relevance of human resources in the determination of firm's performance is presented. Secondly, a missing ring in the knowledge based view of the firm is detected: the R&D investments intensity. Thirdly, the data analysis process and the methodology adopted are illustrated. Finally, the results are presented and discussed.Human capital; innovtive intensity; knowledge; learning; manufacturing; performance

Does the Concept of “Community of Practice” Show New Trajectories for the Evolution of Industrial Districts?

The aim of this paper is to find a framework that could be useful to evaluate the utility of the concept of “Community of Practice” (CoP) for understanding the dynamics of knowledge creation and sharing in Industrial Districts (IDs). The CoP concept stems from the managerial experience of large corporations, which have found in it a kind of “living repository” of knowledge. The source of the concept of agglomeration of firms in ID is completely different. Anyway, many similarities can be found between the concepts of ID and CoP, as well then some differences. The paper proceeds as follows. First, it explains the three main concepts useful for understanding further argumentations: knowledge, ID, CoP. Next, it offers a framework to put in comparison the two concepts of ID and CoP. In the end, an example of how the applications of tools, coming from the CoP concept, can be useful to formulate some hypotheses on the evolutionary behaviour of IDs is shown.Community of Practice, Industrial District, Knowledge, Learning

Embodied Knowledge Transfer Comparing inter-firm labor mobility in the music industry and manufacturing industries

This paper adds new knowledge to the phenomenon of transferring embodied knowledge through labor mobility by means of a comparative study of the entertainment and manufacturing industries. Explorative in nature, the paper takes advantage of unique data on the Danish labor market (i.e. IDA) to investigate labor mobility patterns for the two selected industries and to detect internal differences within industry segments and regarding creative intensive and invention activities in particular. We use the music industry as a proxy for the entertainment industries.Embodied knowledge transfers, labor market dynamics, inter-firm mobility, creative intensive and invention activities, entertainment industries, manufacturing industries

The birth and the rise of the cluster concept: an evolutionary approach

The cluster concept has become an increasingly popular topic for researchers and policy makers. Although this concept is not new, its importance increased during the last decades. Following some authors, the persistence of the cluster concept, as well as its diffusion across different contexts and scientific fields, is a result of its fuzziness. The absence of a unique definition of cluster, as well as a unique methodology for “measuring†clusters favor its loose application to a wide variety of contexts (from economics to management, to economic geography, innovation studies and so forth). The paper aims at identifying the evolutionary pattern of the cluster concept, from the emergence, to the growth and the potential future development. The theoretical discussion is empirically supported by a bibliographic analysis based on statistical and social network analysis tools. The point of departure is an original database, consisting of 5332 academic articles about industrial clusters or industrial districts that have been published from 1989 to 2010 in international scientific journals (ISI Web of Science). We first identified the masterpieces of the cluster concept, selecting the most cited articles, second we performed a backward and forward citation analysis, in order to get information on the roots and the future development of the concept. The results shed light on the milestones in cluster literature as well as on its possible developments. The backward analysis emphasizes the multidisciplinary ground of the concept, which emerges in the realm of the agglomeration economy and local competitive advantage studies and spans over innovation and internationalization studies. The forward analysis highlights the new dimensions of the cluster concept, which give particular emphasis on the emergent literature on culture and creativity studies, as well as on the open innovation paradigm.

A Quantitative Study of Agglutination in Chlamydomonas Moewusii

A quantitative method for the measurement of agglutination among Chlamydomonas moewusii gametes has been presented. Using this technique, it was demonstrated that gametes possess a higher Con A isoagglutinability than vegetative cells and the + mating type is more isoagglutinable by Con A in both the vegetative and gametic states than the - mating type. Pairing is inhibited by both colchicine and trypsin treatments of gametes but agglutination is not significantly inhibited. Data from preliminary experiments in which ferritin Con A was used as a marker was suggestive of the fact that colchicine may have prevented the distal clustering of Con A receptor sites on flagellar tips during mating interactions. The involvement of Con A receptor sites in mating interactions is implicated and the mechanism of tipping is discussed in terms of the colchicine and trypsin data presented

Are Cybercrime Laws Keeping up with the Triple Convergence of Information, Innovation and Technology?

This paper analyzes the emergence and development of cyberlaws. In many coimtries aroxmd the world, cyberlaws are being enacted in order to curb or prosecute cybercriminals. Cybercriminals have very rapidly adlapted to developments in technology, specifically Internet technology, and use its characteristics of transience, anonymity, speed and vast spread to perpetrate various types of crimes. Thus the triple convergence of information, innovation and technology has also aided criminals to practice their nefarious trade. The paper analyzes how various countries are taking counter measures by enacting cyberlaws. These actions are often slow and reactive rather than proactive. In addition, the laws often have several gaps which are further manipulated by criminals. The paper analyzes the cyberlaws of the US and EU. Points of confusion, complexity and differences between the US and EU laws are discussed. The paper concludes with some ideas to be considered in enacting such laws, as well as directions for future research

Mapping the emergence of a new organisational form: An exploration of the intellectual structure of the B Corp research

This paper explores the emergence of B Corp as a new research field through a bibliometric analysis of the B Corp literature, based on a database of 142 documents collected by Scopus and published between 2009 and 2020. This emergent field is an important component of the structural change occurring in our society, which, in recent years, has seen the emergence of new for-profit organisational forms with a strong social consciousness. The bibliometric analysis reveals the foundational works and the historical evolution of the research field, pinpointing the connections between similar concepts in the literature on sustainable enterprises, such as B Corp, hybrid organisation, benefit corporation, and corporate social responsibility. Through a social network analysis, we sustain a relational view of B Corp research, and propose a taxonomy of concepts and terminology, which shows that the concept of B Corp defines an emergent organisational form

Power and Submarine Cable Systems for the KM3NeT kilometre cube Neutrino Telescope

The KM3NeT EU-funded consortium, pursuing a cubic kilometre scale neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea, is developing technical solutions for the construction of this challenging project, to be realized several kilometres below the sea level. In this framework a proposed DC/DC power system has been designed, maximizing reliability and minimizing difficulties and expensive underwater activities. The power conversion, delivery, transmission and distribution network will be described with particular attention to: the main electro-optical cable, on shore and deep sea power conversion, the subsea distribution network and connection systems, together with installation and maintenance issues

Smart cities and citizen engagement: Evidence from Twitter data analysis on Italian municipalities

Smart cities are increasingly keen to establish a fruitful conversation with their citizens, to better capture their needs, and create virtual platforms for stimulating co-creation processes between government and users, with the final objective of increasing the quality of life and well-being. Social media applications provide an opportunity for dialogic communication, where, for a relatively low cost, a large amount of information reaching a wide audience can be published and exchanged in real time, fueling opportunities for citizens' engagement. This study is based on a social media listening method, through Twitter data mining, which enabled disentangling different components of citizen engagement (popularity, commitment, and virality) for a sample of Italian municipalities. In addition, we executed a deep analysis of the types of communication artifacts exchanged and, through a content analysis of the tweets published by followers of the municipalities' accounts, we identified the main areas of interest in the social media conversations. Our results are based on the analysis of online conversations engaged by followers of Twitter accounts of a sample of 28 Italian municipalities, chosen among the most active and densely populated. We show that municipalities tend to use the Twitter account as a channel of communication to inform the population about a variety of topics, such as transport and public works, among the others. The volume of activity and number of followers (audience) vary from one municipality to the other. There is generally a negative relationship between the density of the population of a municipality and citizens' engagement: smaller municipalities show a higher citizens' engagement; the biggest ones, like Roma, Milan, Turin, Naples, are laggards. We finally conducted a city profiling process, which provides a representation of key citizens' segments in terms of engagement. Policymakers could find in our work useful tools to increase citizens' listening capacity