Business models, circular and green economy towards sustainability. A systematic literature review

The paper presents a systematic literature review (SLR) on the connection between business models and the adoption of the circular economy and the green economy towards sustainability. A classification is offered through which it is possible to understand the environmental, economic and social advantages that these components would be able to bring to the enterprise. We used the Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar databases as the main source to collect papers. Initially, 387 papers were collected. Subsequently, we proceeded to review the contributions and, once the selection criteria were outlined, we analyzed and classified 84 publications as priorities. The SLR is performed through a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer software. Finally, we elaborated the state of the art of this research topic for the future agenda

Intangible assets management and digital transformation: evidence from intellectual property rights-intensive industries

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the impact of digital technologies for intangible assets management. The authors analyse how technological innovations and regulations of intellectual property affect business models of companies or intellectual property rights (IPR) intensive industries to determine the impact of digital transformation on intangible assets management, highlighting emerging issues and future effects of the digital technology revolution. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use a case study method to answer our research questions. The authors use Soundreef SpA as our case study, a collecting company that develops technology for monitoring, collecting and maximising the earnings of songwriters and music publishers. The authors also elaborate and adopt the framework of the enhanced intellectual capital as the theoretical lens for presenting and analysing our case study, determining how the digital transformation caused business model innovation and more transparent and timely performance measurement in copyright-based companies. Findings: The analysis of Soundreef SpA’s business model allows us to demonstrate how using new technologies drives the performance measurement of copyright holders and improve the collecting societies’ performance, introducing a new key performance indicator. This turning point is made possible by digital transformation and regulatory change. In the IPR industry, copyright holders’ performance has never been calculated, so the distribution of copyright revenues was based on the criteria approved by governance bodies/management. Originality/value: In the study, the authors demonstrate that digital transformation is able to enhance the intellectual capital of IPR-intensive companies introducing new ways to manage intangible assets and to measure performance

Octahedral tilting, monoclinic phase and the phase diagram of PZT

Anelastic and dielectric spectroscopy measurements on PZT close to the morphotropic (MPB) and antiferroelectric boundaries provide new insight in some controversial aspects of its phase diagram. No evidence is found of a border separating monoclinic (M) from rhombohedral (R) phases, in agreement with recent structural studies supporting a coexistence of the two phases over a broad composition range x < 0.5, with the fraction of M increasing toward the MPB. It is also discussed why the observed maximum of elastic compliance appears to be due to a rotational instability of the polarisation and therefore cannot be explained by extrinsic softening from finely twinned R phase alone, but indicates the presence also of M phase, not necessarily homogeneous. A new diffuse transition is found within the ferroelectric phase near x ~ 0.1, at a temperature T_IT higher than the well established boundary T_T to the phase with tilted octahedra. It is proposed that around T_IT the octahedra start rotating in a disordered manner and finally become ordered below T_T. In this interpretation, the onset temperature for octahedral tilting monotonically increases up to the antiferroelectric transition of PbZrO3, and the depression of T_T(x) below x = 0.18 would be a consequence of the partial relieve of the mismatch between the cation radii with the initial stage of tilting below T_IT.Comment: submitted to J. Phys.: Condens. Matte

Impatto del centro diurno sui costi di assistenza di pazienti affetti da alzheimer probabile, un.esperienza della asl di Città di Castello

Objective of the present work is to evaluate the economic impact caused by the attendance of the Local Health Care Unit Diurnal Center (DC) by Alzheimer disease patients. 21 Alzheimer patients were observed prospectively during 8 months: 2 months before DC attendance (period 1), 4 months during DC attendance (period 2) and finally 2 months after DC discharge (period 3). Data collected were analyzed and average resources consumption was translated into monetary costs according to the Local Health Care Unit point of view and family burden. Our analysis showed a significant cost reduction during DC attendance in respect to period 1 and 3, both on Local Health Care Unit and family sides. During period 2 (DC attendance) patients showed a significant clinical improvement too, as demonstrated by MMSE (Mini Mental State Examination), ADL (Activity of Daily Leaving), IADL (Instrumental Activity of Daily Leaving) scales. Finally our work demonstrates that the DC is a valid and economically advantageous support for the health care assistance of Alzheimer patients on SSN side and that it is able to reduce the burden of continuous care giving for families

Neuropsychiatric symptoms and syndromes in a large cohort of newly diagnosed, untreated patients with Alzheimer disease.

Objectives: Neuropsychiatric symptoms are common in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Treatment for both AD and psychiatric disturbances may affect the clinical observed pattern and comorbidity. The authors aimed to identify whether particular neuropsychiatric syndromes occur in untreated patients with AD, establish the severity of syndromes, and investigate the relationship between specific neuropsychiatric syndromes and AD disease severity. Design: Cross-sectional, multicenter, clinical study. Participants: A total of 1,015 newly diagnosed, untreated outpatients with AD from five Italian memory clinics were consecutively enrolled in the study from January 2003 to December 2005. Measurements: All patients underwent thorough examination by clinical neurologists/geriatricians, including neuropsychiatric symptom evaluation with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Results: Factor analysis revealed five distinct neuropsychiatric syndromes: the apathetic syndrome (as unique syndrome) was the most frequent, followed by affective syndrome (anxiety and depression), psychomotor (agitation, irritability, and aberrant motor behavior), psychotic (delusions and hallucinations), and manic (disinhibition and euphoria) syndromes. More than three quarters of patients with AD presented with one or more of the syndromes (N 790, 77.8%), and more than half exhibited clinically significant severity of symptoms (N 603, 59.4%). With the exception of the affective one, all syndromes showed an increased occurrence with increasing severity of dementia. Conclusions: The authors’ study supports the use of a syndrome approach for neuropsychiatric evaluation in patients with AD. Individual neuropsychiatric symptoms can be reclassified into five distinct psychiatric syndromes. Clinicians should incorporate a thorough psychiatric and neurologic examination of patients with AD and consider therapeutic strategies that focus on psychiatric syndromes, rather than specific individual symptoms

Anelastic spectroscopy study of the metal-insulator transition of Nd(1-x)EuxNiO3

Measurements are presented of the complex dynamic Young's modulus of NdNiO3 and Nd0.65Eu0.35NiO3 through the Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT). On cooling, the modulus presents a narrow dip at the MIT followed by an abrupt stiffening of ~6%. The anomaly is reproducible between cooling and heating in Nd0:65Eu0:35NiO3 but only appears as a slow stiffening during cooling in undoped NdNiO3, conformingly with the fact that the MIT in RNiO3 changes from strongly first order to second order when the mean R size is decreased. The elastic anomaly seems not to be associated with the antiferromagnetic transition, which is distinct from the MIT in Nd0.65Eu0.35NiO3. It is concluded that the steplike stiffening is due to the disappearance or freezing of dynamic Jahn- Teller (JT) distortions through the MIT, where the JT active Ni3+ is disproportionated into alternating Ni3+d and Ni3-d. The fluctuating octahedral JT distortion necessary to justify the observed jump in the elastic modulus is estimated as ~3%, but does not have a role in determining the MIT, since the otherwise expected precursor softening is not observed.Comment: 11 pages, accepted by Phys. Rev.

Co-opetition models for governing professional football

In recent years, models for co-creating value in a business-to-business context have often been examined with the aim of studying the strategies implemented by and among organisations for competitive and co-operative purposes. The traditional concepts of competition and co-operation between businesses have now evolved, both in terms of the sector in which the businesses operate and in terms of the type of goods they produce. Many researchers have, in recent times, investigated the determinants that can influence the way in which the model of co-opetition can be applied to the football world. Research interest lies in the particular features of what makes a good football. In this paper, the aim is to conduct an analysis of the rules governing the “football system”, while also looking at the determinants of the demand function within football entertainment. This entails applying to football match management the co-opetition model, a recognised model that combines competition and co-operation with the view of creating and distributing value. It can, therefore, be said that, for a spectator, watching sport is an experience of high suspense, and this suspense, in turn, depends upon the degree of uncertainty in the outcome. It follows that the rules ensuring that both these elements can be satisfied are a fertile ground for co-operation between clubs, as it is in the interest of all stakeholders to offer increasingly more attractive football, in comparison with other competing products. Our end purpose is to understand how co-opetition can be achieved within professional football

Governance and assessment insights in Information Technology: the Val IT Model

The purpose of this paper is the investigation of the relationship between Information Technology and value creation. In doing so, the paper presents a conceptual framework based on the Val IT model. This framework can assist companies in the selection, implementation and optimization of IT investments to create long-term value. The paper is based on a qualitative approach with the inclusion of a single-method approach. Research is developed according to the study of national and international literature. Following an initial analysis of existing literature on the evaluation of company investments, research has been conducted through the Val IT method to assess these intangible assets. The sources of research are secondary in nature (documents, reports, newspaper articles, papers and scientific books). This methodology emphasises the connection between the modern services created in the knowledge economy and the application of new technologies, especially in the field of Information Technology. Val IT is a governance framework for creating business value from IT investments. It allows companies to increase the possibility of selecting investments with a high potential of value creation, as well as with a greater possibility of success in executing, creating, strengthening and using these services