Andrea Caputo

A literature review of cognitive biases in negotiation processes

Purpose – What is the disciplines current grasp of cognitive biases in negotiation processes? What lessons can be drawn from this body of literature? The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss the limited research on cognitive biases in the context of negotiations. Design/methodology/approach – This article reviews research from judgment and decision-making, conflict management, psychology, and management literatures to systematize what we already know about cognitive biases in negotiations. Findings – Decision-making studies have mainly identified 21 biases that may lead to lower quality decisions. Only five of those biases have been studied relating to negotiations: the anchoring, the overconfidence, the framing, the status quo and the self-serving bias. Moreover, negotiation literature has identified five additional biases that affect negotiation processes: the fixed-pie error, the incompatibility error, the intergroup bias, the relationship bias and the toughness bias. Biased behavior differs...

The Internet of Things in manufacturing innovation processes: Development and application of a conceptual framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute and enrich the scientific debate about the phenomenon called the Internet of Things (IoT) from a managerial perspective. Through the lenses of management and innovation literature, the authors investigate the main facts that characterize the IoT and developed a conceptual framework to interpret its evolution. The framework has then been applied to the case of a three-dimensional (3D) printing technology used for additive manufacturing. Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical analysis of the phenomenon of the IoT and its main elements has been performed to construct a conceptual framework in a managerial fashion able to describe the evolutionary impacts of the phenomenon on the manufacturing industry. Findings – Through consequential steps, namely radical, modular, architectural and incremental innovation, and by adopting and integrating the Henderson and Clark model, the authors explain the cornerstones of the evolutionary impact of the IoT on the m...

Real estate management: past, present, and future research directions

This article aims at discussing how the literature about the real estate management has been evolving over time. To date, both scholars and practitioners substantially converge in maintaining that, if properly performed, that bundle of operations known as corporate real estate management (CREM) can positively affect the overall corporate profitability. Nonetheless, this assumption seems to need more empirical evidence if it wants to be consolidated. Furthermore, although CREM is still the most addressed area of inquiry, over the last years, the attention to related topics, such as the managing of construction projects, has been increasing also. We believe that, in the future, the attention to these topics will increase proportionally to the growing relevance of environmental and social sustainability issues.

Internationalisation of firms from Central and Eastern Europe: A systematic literature review

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of the literature addressing internationalisation of firms from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Design/methodology/approach This paper presents an inter-disciplinary systematic review of literature about the internationalisation of firms from CEE. Findings Three different clusters of research were identified. In the “Internationalisation Processes” cluster, containing many comparative studies, the focus is on specific approaches adopted by local firms in the process of internationalisation. One of the leitmotivs is the dichotomy between hostile home-country factors that create the need for internationalisation and market-seeking motives that guide the search for international expansion. The “Internationalisation Variables” cluster aims to explain the reasons of success or failure of internationalisation processes and strategies; this cluster focuses on possible facilitating or hindering aspects experienced by CEE firms and one often-cited element is the firm’s network. Finally, the “Internationalisation Outcomes” cluster assumes a reverse approach when compared to the other two clusters. Indeed, the internationalisation phenomenon can also be studied in terms of its effect on the firm; the elements sought in these types of studies are both potential benefits and risks associated with internationalisation in CEE countries. The latter category in particular gives rise to interesting questions for future research. Originality/value Given that large, developed economies tend to receive much academic interest and that smaller transitional economies are not always adequately represented in the scientific discussion, this paper contributes to the literature on internationalisation.

Entrepreneurial intentions of young women in the Arab world: Socio-cultural and educational barriers

PurposeFemale entrepreneurship is a growing segment in the context of developing countries and has the potential to become a driving force for economic development. However, research suggests that females are less inclined toward entrepreneurship when compared to their male counterparts. This fact is related to a complex mix of causes such as the belief that entrepreneurship is a male domain, certain conditions within the economic and social environment and a general lack of confidence with regards to succeeding in such activities. Barriers to female entrepreneurship are prevalent in the patriarchal Arab world. The purpose of this paper is to measure the perceptions of female Jordanian business students with regards to the socio-cultural barriers to entrepreneurship. It also looks at the conduciveness of the education they are receiving in terms of new venture creation.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 254 female business students from two universities in Jordan was asked to evaluate various factors within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, including the business education they are currently receiving. A factor analysis has been performed to show which relevant elements may prevent young women from engaging with entrepreneurial activities. A comparison of perceptions about the educational system has also been presented to understand how a supportive educational environment may affect the previous analysis.FindingsThe results indicated that a strong supportive education system to some extent may reduce the perception of potential barriers for entrepreneurship but the overall impact can be limited. Conversely, an educational system lacking a supportive environment and concrete initiatives can deeply affect and worsen the fears of engaging in entrepreneurship amongst female students.Originality/valueThe role of women in the Arab world is quite marked and the reluctance of women to take a more decisive engagement in entrepreneurship may be reinforced by conservative, societal traditions. A supportive education system has the potential to act as a catalyst to encourage active female participation in the entrepreneurial domain, thus helping to spur economic development in the region.

Youth employment in start-up ventures in Jordan: an exploratory study

Youth in developing countries are faced with high unemployment rates, even when they possess higher education degrees. In the developing world, small business and entrepreneurial ventures constitute the main drivers of economic development and offer employment opportunities for youth. Nevertheless, when faced with a career decision after their studies, youth seem to prefer careers in established companies over start-ups. As a consequence, start-ups find it more difficult to find and hire the right employees although they are available in the market. This study aims at examining the factors behind youth career decisions to work for a start-up company and provides suggestions for both research and practice. By relying on both entrepreneurship and career decision-making literature, we developed a theoretical model that includes background factors and individual characteristics. Results from a survey on youth graduates from Jordan show that high school education fostered critical thinking, international exposure, creativity and participation to entrepreneurial events, which predicted the willingness to work for a start-up.

Management control of contractual networks: the business network scorecard

This paper presents an analysis of the management control systems, introducing a useful instrument to summarise performance achieved from the organisational network model, with a view to establishing the competitive advantage and the creation of value on the long-term. The research approach is based on the qualitative methodology. The research is developed according to the study of national and international literature. The contribution proposes theoretical proof to support the new management control instrument for contractual networks: the business network scorecard. The approach adopted for the development of the network management control instrument (business network scorecard) refers to the principles of the balanced scorecard and value creation. So, the reporting system of network performance aims at highlighting the joint results of an economic-financial nature as well as those of an intangible nature. Through a logic of interception of large aggregates, the results achieved by the network are proposed through the matrix of network objectives, the multidimensional network model, including perspective indicators, four indicators of synergy and the comparison report of joint and individual performance of companies.

The third who joins a negotiation: a systematic review of the literature

The article is aimed at providing a different perspective on third parties and tries to systematise our understanding about multilateral negotiations and integrative agreements. The key concepts investigated were the connection between the third who joins and the negotiation process, outcome and effectiveness, within business contexts. Research was guided using the so-called negotiation theory as a framework. Insights and documentation that previous research was fragmented are provided. Even if contemporary approaches integrated third party intervention in a broad understanding of causes and dynamics of conflicts, by definition third parties do not have a strong partisan position on the substantive issues in dispute. They seem to have been considered mainly as external entities, not fully interested and involved in the negotiation, thus with a lack of real interest for the implementation of the final agreement.

Insights on Italian car sharing: the case of Genoa

Car sharing, an innovative mobility service complementary to the local public transport, helps, through the sharing of a fleet of cars among users, to reduce individual and social costs of private transport, at the same time avoiding the rigidity of traditional public transport as well. This paper intends to explain the nature and development of car sharing through three key directions: 1) the critical analysis of literature, through which it was possible to identify how car sharing is still not very extensive; 2) the overview of the Italian context; 3) the analysis of car sharing service in detail, through a case study of the experience in the city of Genoa. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the few existing studies on car sharing in an effort to increase academic and managerial attention on this sustainable mobility service.

Reviewing cognitive distortions in managerial decision making: Toward an integrative co-evolutionary framework

Why and how do cognitive distortions in managerial decision making occur? All organizations are imperfect systems (Katz and Kahn, 1966), with wrong decisions often just round the corner. As a consequence, addressing these important questions continues to be particularly lively in the management development area, especially in terms of its intended contribution to the de-biasing activity. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide the current scientific dialogue on the topic with updated lenses, which can also be innovative from some aspects.,The review framework is based on the recent, impactful article on biases in managerial decision making by Kahneman et al. (2011), and on Bazerman and Moore’s (2013) perspective on emanating heuristics, considered as the causes of biases. Accordingly, the authors derive four intertwined thematic clusters of heuristics, through which the authors systematically group and critically analyze the management literature mostly published on the topic since 2011.,From the analyzed clusters the authors propose an integrative framework of emanating heuristics, which focuses on the co-evolving relationships and potentially self-reinforcing processes in and between them.,The value of the contribution is threefold: from a methodological perspective, to the authors’ knowledge, the studies adopted as the basis of the analysis have not yet been simultaneously used as a comprehensive ground for updated reviews on this topic; from a conceptual perspective, the emerging integrative co-evolutionary framework can help explain the dangerous connections among cognitive traps and emanating heuristics; and from a practical perspective, the resulting framework can also be helpful for future de-biasing attempts in the business arena.