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This study examines the relationship between international performance and the orientation of the firm towards trademark acquisition, and discusses family ownership as a moderator of this association. We conceptualize our study along three interrelated lines of ‘openness’ i.e. openness towards external resources, openness of governance, and openness towards international markets. The empirical investigation relies on a panel data analysis over four years, and on a cross-industry sample of European listed companies consisting of 712 observations. Our outcomes reveal that the attitude of the company to enrich the brand portfolio with externally developed trademarks is positively associated with the firms’ international performance. We also find that this relationship is moderated by family ownership. “Less family is more”: we find a positive relationship of openness towards trademark acquisitions with the firms’ international performance, which decreases with the presence of a family in a dominant position.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper, according to the evolutionary perspective of resilience, is to provide a revised adaptive cycle model that explains how organisations that are embedded in a local system can foster their resilience.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory case study analysis was carried out. The study adopted the methods and principles proposed by Eisenhardt (1989). Case studies were selected according the match-pair method and consist of two Italian wineries operating into the same wine cluster. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed through descriptive statistics and qualitative data analysis techniques.FindingsThe study proposes a revised model for the resilience strategies of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which combines firm and cluster level. Findings show that the resilience of SMEs is primarily driven by internal resilience strategies, and their surviving and adapting capacity, from a certain point of the evolutionary cycle, is fostered by internal decisions rather than by the influence of the external environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has some limitations. In particular, the exploratory survey does not permit the generalisation of results, and further empirical evidence is required. This research represents an initial step toward the development of a more exhaustive understanding of how the relationship SMEs-cluster can positively or negatively affect the resilience of organisations.Practical implicationsThe proposed model for the resilience strategies of SMEs offers also insights for managers and entrepreneurs.Originality/valueThis study significantly contributes to theory on resilience in the management field, that is largely related to economic geography, while investigations about the resilience at the firm level are limited and inconclusive.

Internationalization, digitalization, and sustainability are three key growth paths for firms. In particular, the contemporary economy stresses the relevance of digital transformation as a central driver towards innovation and business renewal, especially for established small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). However, little is known about the relationships among the above-mentioned growth paths, whether they are competing or complementary options. Our contribution addresses this gap focusing on two forms of organizational readiness within SMEs. First, it investigates the impact of Artificial Intelligence readiness on international performance. Second, it explores whether the relationship between digitalization and internationalization is affected by sustainability readiness. The empirical survey relies on a sample consisting of 438 SMEs, including both domestic and international companies. Findings confirm, as expected, that Artificial Intelligence readiness positively influences the international performance of SMEs. Moreover, we find that digitalization and sustainability are positively related, but they turn to be competing growth paths when the firm internationalizes..

An important challenge in open innovation is the capability to absorb and exploit external inbound knowledge, and how internal R&D may facilitate or hinder this. Conventionally, internal R&D expenditure is used as a proxy for absorptive capacity, but in the context of open innovation, this can be problematic. Internal R&D may also constrain present and future absorption, and restrict exploitation for a number of reasons, e.g. degree of development, structural, geographical or relevance to existing business units and markets. Conversely, external sources of innovation can be difficult to identify, evaluate and absorb, but may be more codified, as by definition they are available in the market, and more fully-developed to demonstrate commercial potential. Using panel data of 325 firms over five years, we find that contrary to the prescriptions of transaction cost analysis, externally-sourced knowledge takes less time to absorb and exploit than internally-generated knowledge, but that internal knowledge creates higher returns over the longer term. Significantly, the relationship between internal and external knowledge and performance changes over time, while the ideal strategic balance needs to consider decisions taken at different times.

Precision Medicine (PM) is expected to be one of the biggest revolutions of the upcoming years and not only in the healthcare industry. PM aims to prevent and treat disease on the basis of a person's unique genetic makeup, lifestyle habits, and environment. While the topic has attracted huge attention from scholars in the biomedical field of research, in contrast, literature in the field of business studies is almost absent. This in itself is surprising: this revolution implies a profound impact on the business models of companies and institutions as it pushes a new paradigm of sustainable development for healthcare and welfare systems at the global level. However, little is known about whether, to what extent, and in what direction these dynamics are impacting on the way organisations and value chains are managed, from research to care delivery. Our study addresses this gap: we discuss both theoretical arguments and empirical evidence from a multiple case study survey. Findings show that PM is a multi-faceted phenomenon grounded on novel forms of innovation eco-systems and bundled-based models. We reveal a dramatic shift in the value chain, which is moving upstream from recovery and surgery to prevention and monitoring.

Innovation has gained growing attention in the strategic management field, and — as a strategic orientation — it has been predominantly considered as a homogenous class of differentiated strategic mindsets. This contribution aims at distinguishing different sub-typologies of innovation strategies and validating their profiles and consistency. It explores approaches discussed in the mainstream literature as well as the possibility that other orientations could exist. A cluster analysis outlines four strategic orientations showing differences in terms of competitive drivers, value creation architectures, outsourcing and alliance policies, and managerial processes. Findings offer scholars and practitioners a better understanding of strategic alternatives in pursuing innovation through the identification of systems of consistency among managerial variables — e.g., configuration of the supply chain — thus fostering uniqueness and sustainability of the competitive advantage, and driving managers’ decision. In particular, what really characterised the different innovation strategies here shown is the way they deal with the value chain structure, meaning a key part of the business model.