L'outsourcing nella sanit\ue0

Il ricorso all’esternalizzazione si inquadra tradizionalmente in politiche di conte- nimento di costi e ricerca dell’efficienza da parte delle imprese, configurandolo come una pratica aziendale virtuosa, attraverso la quale si attua la gestione strate- gica dei processi aziendali. Di converso, nei settori di pubblica utilità, l’impiego di politiche di esternalizzazione ha dato luogo a dibattiti controversi. In particolare, per quanto riguarda la sanità pubblica, le scelte di esternalizzazione sono coerenti con una più generale trasformazione verso la managerializzazione delle aziende ospedaliere, non sempre e non da tutti giudicata positivamente

What is critical to success in the movie industry? A study on key success factors in the Italian motion picture industry

This paper investigates key successful factors in the Italian motion picture industry, with a major focus on human and relational capital as a driver of competitive advantage. So far in the creative industries this concept assumes a particular relevance, taking into consideration that the know-how is often spread in social networks of professionals belonging to different communities of artists. Therefore, the capability of quickly reconfiguring these competences into specific projects is a critical issue (Lampel and Shamsie, 2000 and 2003). Moreover, intangible assets play an important role within these industries. Based on a research on more than one thousand movie projects produced in the Italian cluster, this paper tries to address the role of intangible factors in the motion picture industryThis paper investigates key successful factors in the Italian motion picture industry, with a major focus on human and relational capital as a driver of competitive advantage. So far in the creative industries this concept assumes a particular relevance, taking into consideration that the know-how is often spread in social networks of professionals belonging to different communities of artists. Therefore, the capability of quickly reconfiguring these competences into specific projects is a critical issue (Lampel and Shamsie, 2000 and 2003). Moreover, intangible assets play an important role within these industries. Based on a research on more than one thousand movie projects produced in the Italian cluster, this paper tries to address the role of intangible factors in the motion picture industryNon-Refereed Working Papers / of national relevance onl

Caring more by doing less: An enquiry about the impact of outsourcing on patient care

This paper presents a report dealing with the potential impact of outsourcing on health care processes. By referring to a wider scope of industries and sectors, as they have been the experimental fields of most of the studies on outsourcing, we highlight the pros and cons of the outsourcing of activities related to patient care. Although the lack of empirical evidence, this paper intend to show and contextualize the (yet) ambiguous effects of relying on external partners in delivering services which are related to the health of patients. We argue that the seek for efficiency might sometimes hinder the global outcome of care; further we state that given the peculiar nature of the healthcare, outsourcing need to be used within a wider strategic analysis of the activities and thus organizations should carefully identify the threshold for its extension

Central positions and performance in the scientific community: evidences from clinical research projects

Literature claims for a deeper understanding of which processes shape the evolution of network structures over time. Drawing on the assumption that the \u201cnormative ideal\u201d network structure should be understood according to the context in which the network is embedded, we observe collaborative networks generated by the necessity to respond to meeting regulatory requirements. We address the following research questions: What are the effects of centrality on performance in cooperative networks? Which network structural characteristics are relevant in cooperative research networks? We test our hypotheses in a cooperative network made of 114 clinical trial research projects. We provide evidence that, in collaborative networks, an actor's centrality is likely to increase according to its past structural holes. Moreover, we observe that an actor's centrality has a negative effect on performance

Learning in an Agile Setting: A Multilevel Study on the Evolution of Organizational Routines

Recognizing a serious lack of research on routinized individual actions and organizational adaptation in the stability-change paradox, we intend to provide an in-depth explanation of the way in which agile methods affect organizational learning in self-managed, team-based organizations, taking a multi-level evolutionary approach. We explore learning in agile organizations by breaking the analysis of organizational routines down into different levels \u2013 individual, team and organization \u2013 and describing the process of variation, selection and retention of routines at each level. Leveraging on multiple case studies, we discuss how team members learn and gain knowledge, from both direct and indirect experience, and analyze how teams develop conceptual frameworks and interpret those experiences. Finally, we discuss how organizational memory develops and how teams in agile organizations adapt simultaneously within an ecological structure that also comprises the changing environment. Our findings reveal substantial flaws in the capacity of agile methods to foster organizational learning

Is the Trend your Friend? An Analysis of Technology 4.0 Investment Decisions in Agricultural SMEs

Smart Agriculture and 4.0 Technologies have brought several benefits to agricultural small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Nonetheless, the penetration of such digital technologies is still poor and slow. This study addresses the issue and provides some insights on the reasons related to the still limited adoption of 4.0 technologies within agricultural SMEs. Authors do not simply focus on the adoption per se, but rather devote attention to the SMEs owners/managers' subjective perception of the opportunity behind the technology adoption, and of the incentives or constraints given by the external environment as well as the organizational capabilities as embedded in the owners/managers\u2019 skills and organizational routines. Authors analyze data collected by surveying 96 Italian agricultural SMEs owners/managers, and empirically confirm the relevance of managerial capabilities, managerial cognition, and managerial perception of the external environment for the adoption of 4.0 technologies in agricultural SMEs. The results of this research support the conclusion that organizational capabilities related to the search for evidence-based knowledge by the SME\u2019s decision-maker are crucial for the technology\u2019s adoption. In addition, we show the statistical significance relevance of the managerial perception of technological usefulness and of the availability of a supporting business environment either in the form of professional services or institutional support, on the technology\u2019s adoption. The article ends by discussing the results and highlighting relevant managerial implications

External Institutional Pressures

Institutional constraints and the web of social relations influence key organizational dimensions and hinder their decisional capacities, even determining a moving away from any pre-established rational goal. This chapter focuses on the relationship between institutions organization within the external environment. It begins by defining the external institutional environment, the dimension of the organizational field and by describing legitimation mechanisms and isomorphic processes. It then moves towards the presentation of the Institutional-Based View, first introducing market problems and market ordering mechanisms

The organizational side of outsourcing

Although outsourcing is broadly recognized as a relevant and multi-faceted strategic choice, its actual outcomes are still debated. Often the valuation of such choices is limited to the old-fashioned make or by scheme. The frequency and the scope of outsourcing and offshoring have increased constantly during the last 20 years, along with their popularity, which has coincided with other \u2018management fashions\u2019 (Abrahamson & Fairchild, 1999) and similar \u2018bandwagons\u2019 (Staw & Epstein, 2000), like business process re-engineering, strategic focalization, creation of shared services, and corporate downsizing (De Fontenay & Gans, 2008; Gospel & Sako, 2010; Angeli & Grimaldi, 2010). Despite the strategic and financial outcomes of outsourcing have been well documented (e.g. Marchegiani et al., 2012; Giustiniano et al., 2014) both the managerial practice and the extant literature still lack a set of consolidated managerial techniques capable of tackling some of the organizational issues related to outsourcing. Notwithstanding their variety, such issues can be grouped into two main categories: 1) the paradoxes of outsourcing, 2) management of the \u2018liminal\u2019 effects generated