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PurposeOperating in a variety of countries, multinational companies (MNCs) experience a high variety and variability of physiological and contextual dynamics, requiring a more careful knowledge management approach. In this scenario, this paper aims to investigate the entrepreneurial facets and managerial aspects (entrepreneurial orientation/managerial intentionality) of MNCs’ internationalization from a knowledge-based perspective.Design/methodology/approachA theory-building approach is applied, involving a comparative case study of two MNCs conceived through the separation of a unique family business. Aiming to enrich the research about companies’ internationalization, some crucial elements are individuated to build a theoretical frame explaining the evolutionary paths of so-called born global.FindingsThis paper shows that companies’ internationalization development is based on a multiplicity of variables and underlines the need to incorporate different points of view when attempting to explain the dynamics of internationalization processes.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical significance of the two cases does not legitimize theorization. However, this research presents interesting results that could be strengthened by a series of comparative case studies dealing with other MNCs or deeper quantitative investigation.Originality/valueThis research approach could be considered as stimulating by the scientific and managerial community, as the internationalization process is articulated by mixing managerial, entrepreneurial and cognitive aspects.

Maintenance represents a critical aspect of manufacturing systems. Its optimization may lead companies to save costs related to production losses and can extend the whole lifecycle of assets or components. This paper aims at proposing a methodology for evaluating the behavior of systems for maintenance purpose by means of analysis carried out on real vibration data collected in the work environment. To this purpose, a digital twin approach has been developed and the statistical method of the control charts has been integrated to conduct the analysis about the vibration data. The methodology has been applied to a real case study in order to analyze the behavior of an electric motor used in the industrial sector and the results show that the method is effective in predicting possible failures that can lead to apply preventive maintenance actions.

In the context of tourist attractions, cultural heritage organizations such as museums need to innovate their services to remain competitive. Most of them are re-inventing the museum experience to broaden their attractiveness (e.g., Batat, 2020). Information and communication technologies are adopted to enhance the customer experience (e.g., Neuhofer et al., 2014) before, during, and after the visit (Shaw and Ivens, 2002). In addition to computers, tablets, interactive websites, social media, smartphones, and mobile applications, augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality are applications widely used to make museums more attractive (e.g., Errichiello et al., 2019; Roederer et al., 2020; Wu et al., 2021; Bird et al., 2022; Trunfio et al., 2022). Also, multimedia technologies are developing in museums. Notably, museum exhibitions (e.g., Capuano et al., 2016) have begun to use both audio-visual and interactive technology (e.g., touch screen experience, virtual reality technology, and interactive display) to enhance the visitors’ experience (e.g., Batat, 2020; Luo, 2020). Immersive multimedia exhibitions are a specific type of museum exhibition that aims to enhance the interactive experience of the audience to disseminate knowledge and culture. More precisely, these exhibitions are based on video mapping and its various declinations: digital images, light effects, and soundtracks are designed ad hoc to be projected and spread in a physical space where the visitor moves. Some exhibitions revolve around individual artists, such as Imagine van Gogh, which was first held in Paris in 2017, and later in Canada, the USA, South America, and Europe. In this case, the artist's most famous artworks are projected in huge halls, in motion, and accompanied by the music of influential composers such as Mozart and Bach. Other immersive exhibitions use Digital Art to allow visitors to interact with digital installations in real-time. In this case, visitors look at more than just the artworks in the museum but create new ones during each visit. One example is Future World, a permanent exhibition at the ArtScience Museum in Singapore, where immersive and incredibly interactive installations react to the presence or touch of visitors, who enjoy admiring, touching, or drawing depending on the rooms visited. These exhibitions provide unique and memorable experiences for their visitors. However, not all customers can enjoy them. Mainly, some kinds of immersive experiences are not accessible to disabled people because the space, installations, and the employed technology do not meet their specific needs. In such circumstances, the adopted technology does not marry the criteria of inclusiveness of marginalized and disabled communities, opening a new debate about the role that the latest technologies should provide in developing inclusive and equitable experiences. Accordingly, based on individual impairments, disabled people cannot fully enjoy their visit to immersive multimedia exhibitions. Previous studies that have so far examined the accessibility and inclusion of disabled people in museums are very few. For example, Vaz (2020) proposed a framework that combines sensory, intellectual, and physical access into the pre-visit, on-site visit, and post-visit phases of interaction with cultural institutions to promote a sense of autonomy across these people. Furthermore, scholars and practitioners should pay more attention to the role of technology (e.g., Freeman et al., 2016) and, even more, to the adoption of immersive technologies in this research field. In this last regard, Loureiro and colleagues (2019) argued the importance of reducing the negative impacts of tourism using immersive technologies by investing in alternative accessible experiences such as virtual museum experiences. Accordingly, as Devile and Kastenholz (2018) claimed, more inclusive approaches to museums can be provided to promote individual and social well-being. Indeed, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) establishes that museums invest in safeguarding and communicating their collections to the audience and performing social functions that are the core of their existence. Therefore, further theoretical and empirical research is needed about issues related to inclusiveness and accessibility, which can concern millions of people worldwide because of temporary or permanent impairments during their lifetime. Considering these research gaps, this study focuses on the following research question: How can technology foster inclusiveness and accessibility of disabled people in immersive multimedia exhibitions? This study aims to answer this question by exploring a case study engaged in good practice in Italy. Notably, it aims to examine opportunities and barriers to inclusiveness and accessibility emerging from (desire to) attend an immersive multimedia exhibition. In terms of data collection, we will interview museum managers to explore these specific aspects and propose solutions devoted to more inclusiveness and accessibility that could serve as a starting point for designing future immersive multimedia exhibitions. The results of this research have theoretical, managerial, and social implications that are included in the perspective of Society 5.0 development.

n answer to the appeal for securing the rice production efficiency to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we adopt a novel geospatial approach to investigate the spatio-temporal evolution trajectory and driving forces of the rice production in the world's largest pro-ducer, China. We used the spatial autocorrelation method to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution features and aggregation patterns of county rice production efficiency based on panel data of 122 counties in Hunan Province, one of the main grain production provinces in China, from 2006 to 2018. Our findings indicate: (1) Hunan Province's rice production in three countie(i.e., Taoyuan, Liling, and Anren) showed the highest efficiency; there were pronounced regional variances in rice productivity which results in a sharp and rapid shrink of the range of rice productivity, (2) financial investments in agriculture, forestry, and water resources, as well as per capita disposable income of farmers, were the main determinants of the spatiotemporal variation in rice production efficiency, (3) the spatiotemporal divergence of rice production efficiency at the province level was U-shapedly influenced by the share of secondary industry in GDP; southern Hunan region received the biggest contribution from farmers in terms of disposable income per person at the regional level. Overall, theoretically, this study offers fresh evidence for regional optimization of rice and other grain production from a novel integrative approach of the geospatial and the land resource preservation. Practically, it provides feasible guidance for the high-quality development of grain production in China, which may also help eradicate hunger and attain sustainable grain production all over the world.

Innovating is always risky, as introducing something new (not existing before) always involves a reasonable chance of failure. Therefore, 'The willingness to commit resources to projects, ideas, or processes whose outcomes are uncertain' – risk-taking (Covin and Wales, 2012, p. 694) – may reasonably affect the investors' propensity to engage in risky/innovative activities. It is especially true for industries characterized by high research and development (R&D) investments, such as pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. Both pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies spend massive amounts of money on R&D to discover new drugs. They also face significant uncertainty across the whole value chain, from drug discovery to post-launch pharmacovigilance. After having found a new drug, the companies can exploit the exclusive marketing rights for a period as a reward for their R&D efforts1. Unsurprisingly, the allocation of resources in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries is usually driven by the expected returns on investments. Thus, the potential market size is crucial in addressing R&D investments in both sectors (Gamba et al., 2019). This evidence finds support in the research results by Dubois et al. (2015) and Acemoglu and Linn (2004), who confirmed a direct relationship between the potential market size and the development of new drugs. Following the above considerations, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies are reluctant to invest in rare diseases, mainly because of cost and the uncertainty linked to the discovery and development of orphan drugs2 (it takes about ten years on average to discover and market a new drug to treat a rare disease) and the reduced market opportunities, the last ones limited to a small patient population. Rare diseases affect a small number of people compared to the general population, and specific issues are raised concerning their rarity. Nguengang Wakap et al. (2020) estimate that the number of people worldwide living with a rare disease is 300 million. Notably, in Europe, a rare disease affects one person per 20003. In 2021, research and development spending in the pharmaceutical industry was about 238 billion U.S. dollars globally4, with only 11% of new drugs expenditure addressed to the treatment of rare diseases and orphan drugs5. Moreover, Gamba et al. (2019) revealed that while R&D has increased over time for all orphan diseases, the increase has been much more remarkable for the less rare. This gap opens a considerable debate “among academia, institutions, and civil society on how to trigger private and public investments toward R&D in rare diseases and orphan drugs. Mainly, we sustain the idea that market opportunities may arise from unexpected and beneficial discoveries in R&D, claiming a new evaluation of the profitability of the original investments. Carayannis (2008; 2011; 2011a; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2019; 2022) labels these “happy accidents” considers them derivatives of Strategic Knowledge Serendipity and Arbitrage instances, to emphasize the role of an individual’s ability in identifying, accessing, and integrating the knowledge arising from serendipitous events and employing it to get defensible, sustainable, and financial benefits. The most famous 'happy accident' in the past was the fortuitous detection of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928, but hundreds of unexpected discoveries characterize the history of innovation. Serendipity was prominent in discovering many drugs and medical treatments, including vaccination, insulin to treat diabetes, penicillin, quinine, and Viagra. It was also crucial in many fundamental discoveries, including x-rays, radioactivity, pulsars, and cosmic microwave background radiation, and in finding many valuable products such as Teflon, vulcanized rubber, microwave ovens, and velcro. In 2006, Thomas Ban found that serendipity was one of the many factors contributing to drug discovery. More recently, the Italian research group belonging to the Tigem6 identified a novel disease–gene association in the autism spectrum disorder (gaining a new goal in the research of rare diseases) thanks to the genomic surveillance of the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)7. In line with the above considerations, our research focuses on the serendipitous events in the R&D of rare diseases and orphan drugs to detect and detail the market opportunities and the economic value of the ‘out of core’ (not targeted) discoveries. It will deploy mixed quantitative and qualitative methods to produce evidence and detailed cases. Depending on the results of our exploration, we will provide suggestions to address both public and private investments in R&D in rare diseases.

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.