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PurposeThe paper presents a research methodology that could be used to carry out a systematic literature review on the current state of the art of the technological development in the field of the digitalization and unphysicalization of supply chains (SCs). A three-dimensional conceptual framework focusing on the relationship between Digital Technologies (DTs), business processes and SC performance is presented. The study identifies the emerging practices and areas of SC management that could be positively affected by the implementation of DTs. With this in mind, the emerging practices have a high probability to be considered future best practices.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review was conducted on DTs in SC management. The methodology used aims to algorithmically and objectively standardize the information incorporated into thousands of scientific documents. Selected papers were analyzed to investigate the recent literature on SC digitalization and unphysicalization. A total of 87 DTs were selected to be analyzed and subsequently grouped into 11 macro-categories. 17 business processes linked to SC management are taken into account and 17 different impacts on SC management are presented. From a set of 1,585 papers, 5,060 emerging practices were collected and singularly summarized combining DT, business process and impact on SC performance.FindingsA unique analytical perspective provided represents an important evolution when trying to organize the current literature on SC management. The widely used DTs in the practices and the most considered business processes and impacts are highlighted and described. The three-dimensional conceptual framework is graphically represented to allow for the emergence of the best combinations of DT, business process and impact on SC performance. These combinations suggest the most promising areas for the implementation of the emerging practices for SC digitalization and unphysicalization. Additional findings identify and define the most important contexts in which Big Data contributes to SC performance.Originality/valueThe research methodology used is offering progress through which to systemize the current practices as well as detect the potential of digitalization and unphysicalization under the three-dimensional conceptual framework. The paper provides a structured proposal for promising future research directions, assuming that the five research gaps as findings of this research could be the basis for prescriptions, as well as a future research agenda and theory development. Moreover, this research contributes to current managerial issues concerning SC management, referred to data and information management, efficiency and productivity of SC processes, market performance, SC relationship management and risk management in SC.

Hiding knowledge engenders economic losses. Customer knowledge is an external source praised by knowledge management scholars. Multi-sided Internet platforms become knowledge flow vehicles, nurturing customer knowledge. Knowledge hiding is widespread in services contexts impairing knowledge sharing. Firms need to integrate the knowledge-based customer experience to attain performance goals. Using social exchange theory and customer experience theory, we adopt a customer perspective to uncover the type of knowledge hidden and the motivations for customers to hide it on service multi-sided platforms. Combining narrative inquiry and critical incident technique we collected an original dataset of 51 narrative accounts of multi-sided platform users (Uber, Airbnb, and BlaBlaCar). We identify 10 major categories of hidden knowledge building on the identified critical incidents and five motivations to hide knowledge. The findings enrich the literature on knowledge hiding by providing the customer viewpoint. For practitioners, firms need to acknowledge customers’ knowledge hiding behaviors in multi-sided settings.

The purpose of this study is to review, synthesize and critique the voluminous, multidisciplinary literature on factors influencing ethical decision making (EDM) by adopting a unique qualitative approach. The main results of this paper initially involve identifying 42 factors provided in the past forty years of research as potentially influencing EDM (provided by four main systematic literature review papers on EDM). We adopt the Ebb and Flow Visualization to summarize and classify those 42 factors by using two main criteria descripted in the paper. The results clearly show that in over forty years of literature, there are factors that have received much more research attention than others and that some factors have been identified more influential than others. A proposed future research agenda has been designed providing possible activities to further investigates the impact of factors influencing EDM. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications are also provided in the conclusion section.

Purpose This study aims to offer an empirical analysis to identify the relation between the adoption of knowledge management practices and the improvement of social innovation capabilities as an outcome of the knowledge sharing. Specifically, social innovation capabilities are triggered by knowledge-sharing enablers, such as intrinsic and extrinsic socially driven motivations. Design/methodology/approach Based on a sample from 300 nonprofit organizations, the study explains causal relationships in terms of the multiplicity of triggers that act on a social innovation capability. The research applied the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method through SmartPLS 3.3 software. Data are collected from an online survey and highlight the employees’ and volunteers’ boost in nonprofit organizations to seek positive social change as a priority goal of their business model. Findings The results support the existence of a direct and positive relationship between knowledge-sharing enablers (i.e. intrinsic and extrinsic socially driven motivations), the mechanism of the formation of knowledge-sharing behaviors (an inside-out and outside-in process) and social innovation capabilities. Research limitations/implications The study combines the open innovation framework with social innovation activities and investigates the role of knowledge sharing in the building of social innovation capabilities. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper is the first attempt to describe a synergic framework, including open innovation literature, social innovation capability and knowledge-sharing processes. Originality/value This paper is a part of the research stream that focuses on the processes of distribution of knowledge flows along the boundaries of the organization. Thus, this study broadens the field of knowledge management and social innovation initiatives.

This paper aims at analyzing sustainable practices that can be implemented within supply chains, linking them to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to show the performance achieved by SDG-oriented supply chains. Sustainable practices were collected from the repository “Business Process Framework for Sustainability” owned by the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Salerno (Italy). By using literature research and descriptive statistics, there emerges a positive relationship between sustainable development and SC performance enhancement. From the study of the practices that can be implemented for cooperation activities with upstream and downstream supply chain partners, it emerges that companies have many opportunities of both supporting the 2030 Agenda and enhancing their market and organizational performance. The research demonstrates that both procurement and distribution processes could be reengineered by implementing sustainable approaches considering all three dimensions of sustainability. Differences emerge in terms of number of opportunities, depending on motivations for implementing them, industry and supply chain processes, performance achieved, and SDGs pursued.

As a recommender system, Metacritic (metacritic.com) quantifies and aggregates reviews of entertainment products. The metascore published by Metacritic is controversial in its process for gathering, translating, and aggregating reviews. This study aims to assess the quality of Metacritic's scoring of movie critics’ reviews. By using a mixed methods approach integrating content analysis and multilevel analysis, we found that the movie review scores assigned by Metacritic reflecting the reviews’ semantic contents, being unbiased across the critics, and differentiating the movies reviewed. The paper provides, also, both theoretical implications, referred to an original framing of professional reviews in the service science, service systems and service quality; and practical implications related to the potential customers and for the entertainment industry.

It is stressed in the literature that territorial certification critically influences tourist destination competitiveness; however, it remains unclear as to how they influence local Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) value creation. The research contributes to the literature by testing the relationship between territorial certifications and SMEs value creation. Based on literature review, a research model and hypotheses has been developed. The study used a quantitative analysis based on a sample composed of 1148 SMEs from 128 cities (members of the Cittaslow Association) in 15 European countries. The results highlight the direct relationship between territorial certification and SME performance in terms of both annual sales growth and positive financial performance. However, findings show that the impact of territorial certification on local SMEs enables more rapid results in terms of financial performance as opposed to annual sales growth. The implications for management and local government, considerations for future research, and the limitations of the study are also provided.

Cognitive computing holds considerable potential for holistic data interpretation in a dynamic business environment. It can act as an enabler of organizational ambidexterity. The present study explores the potential role cognitive computing can play in an organizational context with global partnerships. The study uses qualitative mode of enquiry and organizational information processing theory as the theoretical framework. Emergent categories were identified using thematic analyses. The key findings of the study highlight the critical gaps in traditional decision systems; cognitive computing as an enabler of ambidextrous orientation and facilitator of informational access for enhanced performance in case of global strategic partnerships.

Team effectiveness is the result of teamwork, with teams scoring high in job performance, job satisfaction, and team viability. In healthcare, teamwork is decisive for the well-being of patients and their satisfaction. Among the scholars, there is an ongoing debate about the best leadership approach to maximize team effectiveness. In this paper, we start from the seminal work of Pearce & Sims (2002) that investigates vertical versus shared leadership as predictors of the effectiveness. Team effectiveness has been analyzed according the constructs of team processes and performance. The vertical/shared leadership have been analyzed from their main constructs: vertical/shared transactional leadership, vertical/shared transformational leadership, and vertical/shared empowering leadership. Differently from Pearce & Sims (2002), this study was conducted in the healthcare sector of a developing country. Data was collected from a questionnaire distributed to 17 public and private healthcare teams as assessed from two sources: team leaders and team members. The sample was composed of 138 participants from the healthcare personnel, distributed in 17 diverse teams. From literature six hypotheses has been developed and descriptive and inferential statistics are also provided. Team effectiveness was found to be significantly predicted by both vertical leadership and shared leadership. The shared leadership was found to be significant predictor of team effectiveness in all its three constructs (transactional, transformational, and empowering shared leadership), whereas the vertical leadership was found to be significant predictor of team effectiveness in only two constructs (transformational and empowering vertical leadership). Theoretical and practical implications for managers in healthcare sector are also provided.

Purpose From literature, an uncovered issue around the customer-based brand equity (CBBE) is detected: the influence of sensorial preferences on the relationship between social media communication and CBBE. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects produced by social media brand communication – both firm-created content (FCC) and user-generated content (UGC) – on CBBE, according to the sensorial preferences in the beer industry. Design/methodology/approach A literature review has been used to develop a research model and hypotheses. The research is based on online survey carried out on a sample of 183 valid questionnaires of Italian active fans and followers in the beer industry. A multi-group analysis applied to structural equation modeling is used. Findings The sensory dimension prevails limiting the operating range of brand awareness that does not strongly affect CBBE. In brand equity development’ process, non-sensorial users do not consider sensorial preferences. The brand equity can become stronger by stimulating the reaction of customers through firms’ communication by using social media platforms. Therefore, the quality of peer interactions in the social media communication has a positive impact on brand loyalty. When firms use social media communication to increase overall brand equity, they have to foster and monitor FCC and UGC responses that affect different CBBE components. Originality/value The paper provides empirical evidence about the relationship between social media communication and CBBE, according to the importance given to sensorial preferences by beer lovers. This can be considered as the first study on this specific topic focused on the CBBE issue.

This study defines the academic library as an innovation intermediary that under the service-dominant logic perspective has a role of co-creator of value instead of a traditional service provider focused on collecting and exchanging knowledge. Innovation intermediaries develop a number of roles and functions to stimulate knowledge creation and transfer by supporting interactions and collaborations among multiple parties. As result, 2×2 Matrix was created to position each library's service based on its unique combination of necessary innovation roles and functions. A single case study focused on a university library and highlighted the existence of two different types of intermediaries: generalist and specialist.

Project management is one of the possible ways to improve the organizational reputation and create value. The control achievable on each project' constrains (time, cost and quality) and the actions consequent by assessment process can represent in theory a guarantee for the success of a project. In practical, there are many risks capable of upsetting the project dynamics leading to failures. Risk management, or the specific area of knowledge of Project Risk Management, are useful to prevent this possible occurrence. The global dimension of organizations' networks that use PM, moves this quality to the project that this organizations do. A definition of global project is provided as well as also the consequent considerations about the cross-cultural aspect within the peoples involved in this type of project. It is framed and proposed a new category of risk related to management of global project: cultural risk analysis.

The paper deals with a case study in an Italian maritime cluster seen through a multiple paradigms framework, based on Sustainability (SUS), Open Innovation (OI), and Value Co-creation (VCc). The proposed theoretical framework helps to interpret a true phenomenon consisting of the design of a new product with a prototype created in a network of multiple actors. The approach adopted stems in part from recent writings in qualitative research methodology and is quite apt in this context considering the qualitative, confirmatory nature of this work. The prototype named “TESEO I” was realized through open innovation aimed at sustainability, not only directed at environmental aspects but synergistically with value cocreation, which emerged from interaction among the actors, while also including social and economic aspects. The work concludes with a discussion of theoretical implications related to the proposed framework and the results that emerged from the case study, with both referring to sustainability, open innovation, and value cocreation.

This study is focused on the role, importance and practice of Business Continuity Management (BCM) in relation with Strategic Planning (SP) and Cultural Context (CC) by offering a holistic framework for short-term and long-term strategic business analysis. The purpose is to create a unique structured plan for understanding the organizational failure willingness and to create a culture of readiness, feedback and risk management. The methodology used is quantitative with questionnaire for collection data. The study sample includes 50 organizations from four different sectors: banking, services, industrial and insurance in Shkoder (Albania). The research findings show a positive correlation between SP and BCM (0.54%), with a significant positive impact of SP on BCM. A positive correlation is founded between SP and CC (0.588%). The study suggests that placing the BCM in the Corporate Culture may be entitled as another manner of integrating BCM and SP in one structure. Between culture and strategy there is a huge number of characteristics and similarities they have in common with each other.

Purpose The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationships between distribution strategies and the level of innovation propensity in the winemaking industry. It intends to identify the existence of patterns around the way wineries innovate and the way distribution channels are used. These determinants can support or constrain wineries’ behaviors in their strategic choices related to distribution channels. Design/methodology/approach The sample comprised 191 Italian small- to medium-sized enterprises in the wine industry. First, a two-step cluster analysis was used to identify patterns in the level of innovation propensity and differences in distribution channel strategies. Second, the research question was tested using multinomial logit regression. Findings Five clusters of innovation propensity were identified, varying from “no propensity to innovate” to “propensity for radical innovation”, and three clusters of distribution channel strategies were found. A significant negative relationship between innovation propensity and distribution channel strategies was revealed. This means that the greater the propensity to innovate, the smaller the need for a wholesale distribution option. Research limitations/implications As with most research, there are limitations to this study. First, the sample is from only one country. A second limitation is the sample size (191 Italian firms). A sample including large firms can be used to further validate the findings. Linked to the sample, another possible limitation is that all respondents were small- and medium-sized enterprises from a single industry. Practical implications This study contributes to the current innovation research by showing the existence of a negative relationship between innovation propensity and the choice of distribution channel in the wine industry. This knowledge is precious to entrepreneurs and managers in the wine sector, allowing them to better consider not only the type of strategies related to distribution channels but also the importance of building the firm’s propensity to innovate into the strategic decision-making process. Furthermore, the paper provides an opportunity for practitioners to reflect upon the fact that changing the distribution channel is more than just changing the outlet for their product; it might also require a revision in their innovation propensity to better facilitate the process. Social implications There are also social implications, in particular providing an advantage for consumers. The major advantage is based on the fact that consumers are now aware that the level of innovation propensity in a wine industry is directly linked to the type of distribution channel adopted. Therefore, wines with low-innovation propensity are most likely found to adopt wholesale distribution strategy, while the more innovative wineries adopt the wine expert and direct distribution channels. Originality/value For the first time, a cluster analysis approach was used to review different typologies of Italian wineries based on their propensity toward to innovation and subsequent distribution strategies. This study further explains the direct relationship between innovation propensity and the strategic choice toward between long or short distribution channels.

A well-defined business idea is essential for nascent business sustainability in the future. The business idea must fit firm knowledge and resources to a profitable business opportunity. This work adopts the framework of value co-creation, strongly related to the service-dominant logic paradigm. We ask how does business idea fit affect new venture sustainability and create opportunities for value co-creation. We propose that a business idea that lacks fit is less sustainable, but it could create opportunities for value co-creation. This study develops and validates an empirically grounded taxonomy of business idea fit based on 729 Australian nascent firms using quantitative data generated from the results of a large study called CAUSEE (Comprehensive Australian Study of Entrepreneurial Emergence). A cluster analysis is used to identify distinct patterns of business idea fit. The empirical taxonomy developed in this study found four distinct clusters of firms, which were distinguished by the fit of their new business idea to knowledge, resources and market profitability: very good fit, low knowledge fit, low profit fit and low fit. Results show how these different patterns of fit create opportunities for value co-creation to create business future sustainability.

The paper investigates the relationship between the culinary innovation process (divided in two stages: idea generation and idea transformation) and the role of creativity protection. The aim is to understand how chefs protect their creativity and their innovation outcomes. The analysis is based on a sample of 132 Italian Michelin-starred chefs. The study sheds light on creativity and innovation domains in the hospitality environment where organizations have to continuously innovate in order to maintain a defensible competitive position. It identifies five “barriers against imitation” by competitors: “listening to clients’ needs”; “chef’s own creativity”, “systematic approach to creativity”; “knowledge based feasibility”; “accumulated professional skills”. The paper represents an initial effort to examine creativity protection concepts in the gastronomy sector, which are still unexplored. It contributes to a better understanding of how to protect the intellectual property in a sector where the applicability of law-based intellectual property systems is very low.

The paper aims to investigate the possible relationship between Tourism Supply Chain and Strategic Partnership, read as a way to reduce and better manage the complexity in Tourism Industry. This last has been analysed under multi-disciplinary approaches (economic, sociological, psychological, anthropological and geographic) to better understand its main components. A synthesis of origin of Tourism Supply Chain term was provided. VRIO framework and PEST analysis was used with the aim to better understand the strategic decision of integration the chain with a single or multiple rings. Starting from this, a theoretical framework from a holistic analysis is provided., Este documento busca investigar la posible relación entre la cadena de suministro de turismo y la asociación estratégica, leer como una forma de reducir y gestionar mejora la complejidad de la industria turística. Esta última ha sido analizada con un método multidisciplinario (económico, sociológico, psicológico, antropológico y geográfico) para entender mejor sus principales componentes. Se proporciona una síntesis de la cadena de suministro de turístico. El marco VRIO y el análisis PEST fueron usados con el fin de mejorar la comprensión de la decisión estratégica de integración de la cadena con uno o múltiples anillos. A partir de ahí, se proveyó un marco teórico desde un análisis holístico.

This work focuses on a University-based Spin Off (USO) with consequent review of the traditional university mission on the need/opportunity to give more to Knowledge. Europe, Italian government and other institutions fund spin-offs through announcements, in which the evaluation method for merits still shows limitations, due to a light presence of Italian excellence. The work, starting from the Service Science Management Engineering and Design (SSMD+D), proposes a review of the literature about demographic factors in the founding team, but more generally of human capital in spin-offs in order to create value. According to Visintin and Pittino (see Visintin and Pittino in Technovation 34: 31–43, 2014), the paper aims to design a kernel of a fuzzy logic based DSS to evaluate ex-ante the likely success of the founding team of a USO. Academic spin-offs of the University of Salerno are useful to test the DSS.

Even though a number of studies have focused on museum websites, specific studies about top Italian museums and the services provided online have not been found. This paper aims to fill this gap in the literature and investigate the online services performed by top Italian museums. The objective is to determine whether these museums have developed their own website, and what kind of services they provide to their online visitors. The presence or lack of services provided was recorded with the adoption of a descriptive approach, based on qualitative content analysis principles. Results are shown in terms of three kinds of services provided (virtual visit opportunities, e-commerce services, and e-relation tools). Results provide managers a mapping of the services provided by their specific museum. Nevertheless, they need to be expanded with further primary research.

The aim of this paper is twofold: firstly, investigate the theory of governance and open innovation by adding the process of value creation and value capture, secondly, to discuss the potential link between open innovation and economic sustainability. With the current emphasis of the literature being on either the value creation or value capture processes, the phenomenon of open innovation is only partially understood. To help broaden this understanding, we conducted an in-depth case study of the processes behind the transformation of governance structures at Iran Khodro Company (IKCO), which led to the emergence of both value creation and capture processes. A multi project analysis (from 1994 to 2012) has point out that IKCO have created and developed a formal value creation and capture processes from the part level through to the architectural level, allowing a gradual openness at those levels and at the same time ensuring a greater economic sustainability of the IKCO business. These findings reveal the existence of four unique levels of open innovation in product development architecture. Practical implications are also provided relating the impact that each of these levels can have on the economic sustainable model of the firms in the manufacturing sector.

This work stresses the centrality of the Service-Dominant Logic (S-D logic) point of view and the relationships between firm and Open Innovation Intermediary in the knowledge development process providing a conceptual framework. From an in-depth literature review on S-D logic, Open Innovation Intermediaries and firm dynamic capabilities, a development of a conceptual framework based on these research areas is provided. The framework is intended to highlight the role of customers (firms) into professional relationships with intermediaries of innovation becomes progressively significant in the innovation activities because these professional relationships increasingly become co-creators of value. Within their advanced platforms, intermediaries or brokers, encourage, promote and sustain interactions and partnerships aligned to value co-creation enterprises. This is achieved by providing a heterogeneous set of services to augment dynamic cooperation, to advance concepts or solutions for solving interdisciplinary problems and, consequently, to address an organization’s requirements for new market opportunities. Therefore, these partnerships represent a possible way to define and to improve the value cocreation actions by firms that intend to engage and to cooperate with adjunctive and integrative resources and expertise. In addition, the framework has been designed to highlight a particular domain centered on the role of each S-D Logic axioms within the innovation capabilities; and the relationship and orientation between organisation and innovation intermediary. The main findings highlight that both firms and Open Innovation Intermediaries need to develop innovative capabilities through direct and indirect relationships within the S-D logic perspective. This study is an effort towards building a conceptual framework by connecting the concepts of Open Innovation Intermediaries, dynamic capabilities and S-D logic.

The aim of this paper is twofold: to contribute to clarifying what exactly Halal tourism is, being a relatively new term; and to provide an insight into the level of knowledge and mental schemes of a new generation (Gen Z) in a Muslim majority country. To achieve the first aim, a literature review is presented. With regard to the second, a survey among Business School university students was carried out in Indonesia; primary data collected were treated by using univariate, bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques. The main findings obtained show that (1) scientific research on Halal tourism is still in an early stage, with the first relevant article dated in 2010; and (2) only a minority of our target population has declared to be familiar with the concept of Halal tourism and to have received specific training on it, but most of them (males particularly) believe that Indonesia should bet decisively to position itself as a Halal tourism destination, being its religious profile the most influential factor in favor of that option. This is the first work on this topic targeting university students’ perceptions. Implications on the supply of services in the tourism industry are also provided.

This paper focuses on a possible improvement of knowledge-based decision support systems for human resource management within Public Administrations, using a co-creation of value’s mechanism, according to the Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) paradigm. In particular, it applies ontology-driven data entry procedures to trigger the cooperation between the Public Administration itself and its employees. Advantages in such sense are evident: constraining the data entry process by means of the term definition ontology improves the quality of gathered data, thus reducing potential mismatching problems and allowing a suitable skill gap analysis among real and ideal workers competence profiles. The procedure foresees the following steps: analyzing organograms and job descriptions; modelling Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes (KSA) for job descriptions; transforming KSAs of job descriptions into a standard-based model with integrations of other characteristics; extracting information from Curricula Vitae according to the selected model; comparing profiles and roles played by the employees. The 'a priori' ontology-driven approach adequately supports the operations that involve both the Public Administration and employees, as for the data storage of job descriptions and curricula vitae. The comparison step is useful to understand if employees perform roles that are coherent with their own professional profiles. The proposed approach has been experimented on a small test case and the results show that its objective evaluation represents an improvement for a decision support system for the re-organization of Italian Public Administrations where, unfortunately often, people are engaged in activities that are not so close to their competences.

The highly complex environmental conditions and hyper–competitivity of the markets have created the need to review government action, in the sense that the latter has to be more careful in evaluating the risks which influence the integrity of the relational capital of the organization. In this context, there is a need to review the traditional DSS, with the intention of making them more appropriate for the global hyper-competitivity which, unavoidably, influences the competitive dynamics of the organization.

Open Innovation and Services Science are two distinct paradigms that share some principles 0. While some attempts to investigate open innovation according to a service science perspective exist, there is currently a gap with regards to the analysis of intermediaries of open innovation according to a service science perspective and even more regarding to recent trends about smart service system. This paper aims to fill this gap and, to this purpose, we present two interesting and original results. After an analysis of the key features of Open Innovation Intermediaries, we discuss a characterization of these intermediaries as service systems by mapping their features on the ten fundamental concepts of a service system. Next we propose a new model that goes in the direction of the convergence between service and cognitive system (smart service system) and aims at overcoming some traditional issues of the intermediaries. The new model foresees the distribution of Open Innovation Intermediaries features, enhanced with a set of cognitive assistants to the stakeholders within open innovation processes, and proposes the adoption of responsible innovation frameworks as a base to add right and responsibilities to cognitive assistants.