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Besides the well known outstanding characteristics in terms of power density and thermal behavior, which are largely exploited for microwave high power applications, AlGaN/GaN HEMT technologies have demonstrated promising results for the design of low noise, high-dynamic-range and highly rugged amplifiers. In this paper we describe the design, implementation and characterization of a Ku-band MMIC Low Noise Amplifier for telecom Space applications, exploiting an industrial AlGaN/GaN 0.25 μm HEMT on SiC process. In the frequency band 12.8-14.8 GHz, the LNA features a linear gain over 20 dB with a Noise Figure below 1.85 dB. Input and output return losses are better than -9 dB in the same band. Power dissipation is 840 mW in linear operation. The LNA delivers about 25 dBm of output power at 1 dB compression point and it has been tested to survive without performance degradation 25 dBm of CW input power. © 2013 European Microwave Association.

The purpose of this report is to scrutinize the development of the microelectronics and nanotechnology cluster from an original anchor fi rm perspective and to examine the processes through which the roles of anchors and their networks of relationships with the most important players of the cluster evolved over the last quarter of the century. On the ground of the analysis of archival data, internal documents and reports, academic publications, and personal interviews with key managers, researchers, and crucial actors from both private and public sides – performed coherently with the snowballing method – the report identifi es the emergence and development of the microelectronics and nanotechnology cluster in the Catania regional area, the main actors involved, and the relationships they have nurtured. Specifi cally, the report offers detailed historical cases of the anchor fi rms and organizations that, over the last quarter of a century, have fostered the development of the microelectronics and nanoelectronics cluster. It offers as well a discrete social network analysis of the internal networks of the main anchor fi rm that has been present in the Catania area for the last two decades; i.e., STMicroelectronics. Recommendations and implications for policy makers for fostering microelectronics and nanotechnology activities in the area of Catania conclude the report. The reminder of the report is organized as follows. Section 2 depicts the main features of our research setting, i.e., the Catania microelectronics and nanotechnology cluster. Section 3 illustrates the data collection process we adopted in the case studies and social network analysis, and shows the research design process. Section 4 presents the results of an in-depth longitudinal analysis of the emergence and development of the microelectronics and nanoelectronics cluster in the Catania area. Section 5 investigates the development of the microelectronics and nanotechnology cluster from an original anchor perspective. In particular, for each of the three temporal brackets according to which we split up the cluster lifecycle (i.e., 1987-1993; 1994-2004; 2005-2009), it identifi es the anchor/s and discusses the changing role they have played. Section 6 closely analyzes the structural confi guration of the STMicroelectronics networks in order to grasp the area’s innovation output and local development spawn by the relevant actors’ interplay. Finally, Section 7 eventually advances a set of recommendations to policy makers.

The article investigates the relationship between Performance Management Systems (PMS) and IS in a single Italian Public University, starting from the gap that exists between what is declared in University policy statements— ostensibly oriented towards empowerment—and what is actually implemented by public managers. We are particularly interested in understanding how ICT could support PMS in the control process. In our empirical analysis we observed that the role of IS depends on the strategy adopted in planning and implementing the PMS.

The main goal of the paper is to explore the importance of the complementarities between ICT and organizational change in order to plan new organizational forms. In particular, the paper analyzes whether and how technology can be an important instrument of coordination for healthcare organizations. Results from our empirical research indicate that ICT solutions and initiatives play a significant role in improved information management and therefore re-engineering of business processes. We show how traditional organizational models and coordination are no longer consistent and sufficient in turbulent environments such as that of the Italian health. ICT provides new ways of coordination and control. So the traditional coordination mechanisms are scaled or enhanced with the use of ICT.

This chapter focuses on the reciprocal relationship between information systems and organizational control. It introduces the volume, describing both the theoretical frameworks and the topics analyzed and discussed. In particular, the volume is divided into three sections, each one focusing on a specific topic: organizational control, accounting and information systems; organizational change, innovation and ICT; and information, knowledge and project management practices.

The literature on distributed work has recognized the importance of enhancing our understanding of how leadership processes change in globally distributed teams (GDTs), and of the interplay between leadership processes and the use of collaborative technologies. However, we still find limited, and some- times contradictory, empirical evidence on the topic. Following the theoretical framework of e-leadership, the aim of this paper is to explore how emergent and formal leadership processes co-evolve with the use of collaborative technologies in GDTs and their influence on team performance. We conducted a multiple case study in five GDTs engaged in scientific collaborations. Our analysis suggests that the attainment of consistency between leadership processes and technology use is related to better knowledge integration, which is an important antecedent of overall team performance.

Cooperation among firms is universally seen as a catalyst of competitive advantages. However, 50 % of alliances fails, often due to the lack of tools and methods to quantitatively track the effects of alliances on firms and to link goals and KPIs outside of traditional organizational boundaries. Nonetheless, performance management and performance measurement have a key role in the assessment of alliance’s goals achievements and of the impact of alliances on firms. This concept has been included in DsNA, a tool for the analysis of strategic partnerships, that we developed with the aim of providing firms, networks’ managers, researchers and policy makers with a more structured and complete information. In particular, the innovative aspect consists of the creation of an online service which enables KPIs monitoring and benchmarking, thus simplifying a possible reconfiguration of network dynamics.

This chapter aims to increase our understanding of the relationships between firm strategies, the design of institutional contexts on behalf of public agents, and the stimulation of diffused entrepreneurship within the economic system. In particular, it analyzes the way in which firm patent portfolio management strategies may systematically hinder the emergence of entrepreneurial endeavors within the economic system and, on this basis, critically discusses how the acknowledgement of these interactions should influence the design of public policies at the economic system level. We argue that in economic contexts where intellectual property rights (IPR) are influential, large firms may intentionally develop and strategically manage wide portfolios of patents in order to purposely pre-empt the rise of direct competition and thwart the efforts of new potential entrepreneurs, rather than merely to protect the fruits of their R&D. This strategy leads to patent proliferation, eventually hindering the emergence of nascent entrepreneurship, thereby preventing the creation of new value in the system. The pre-emptive strategy described may be observed in a variety of contexts in which global firms (such as IBM, Microsoft and other firms in the biotech, nanotech and pharmaceutical industries) tend to aggressively invest in building and protecting wide ranged and overarching patent portfolios directed primarily toward preventing potential competition.