Emilio Esposito

Greener supplier selection: state of the art and some empirical evidence

In recent years, an increasing environmental awareness has favoured the emergence of the new green supply chain paradigm; thus, also in the supplier selection problem, green criteria were incorporated. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, a careful scrutiny of the papers appearing in international scientific journals in recent years on the greener supplier selection problem is provided, highlighting utilised methodologies and current issues; second, a verification of the penetration of environmental and green criteria for the supplier selection in corporate practice is performed, using a questionnaire survey targeting the top 100 manufacturing companies operating in South Yorkshire (UK) and two in-depth interviews at large MNE firms operating in complex industries. Results show that, while interest in the literature is growing, there is little empirical evidence of the transfer of these applications into the real world, highlighting a persistent dichotomy between theory and practice. The reasons for this dichotomy are also investigated.

Strategic alliances and internationalisation in the aircraft manufacturing industry

Abstract Based on an indicator measuring the technological level of aircraft, this paper shows that in the aircraft industry, firms are obliged to deal not only with high technological barriers, but growing financial and market barriers, too. In order to reduce these, a complex network of relationships has developed over time. This network involves both main firms belonging to the world oligopoly and firms capable of offering specialised technology and/or a potential broadening of the market. The result is a worldwide production organisation. This paper highlights the fact that the aircraft industry is undergoing a global reorganisation featuring an integration process where six groups (two in Europe and four in the United States) have come to the fore. In the future, it will be possible to imagine new forms of co-operation between the emerging European and American groups.

A Critical Analysis of Current Indexes for Digital Divide Measurement

Several composite indexes grouping several variables into a single figure have been proposed for measuring the digital divide. In this article, the authors analyze shortcomings of extant indexes. Using multivariate analysis tools, they show that in the definition of composite indexes it is possible to individuate a limited set of more influencing and significant variables. This finding suggests the possibility of replacing some redundant variables with other dimensions that include other aspects of the digital divide that are not considered in extant measures.

Technology measurement: A composite approach

Abstract This paper introduces a new composite measurement and procedure identifying technological changes based on research carried out by the author. The paper first explores the technological innovation measurement. It outlines the points of strength and weakness related to five main classes of technological indicators: input measures, output measures, measures based on precursor events, functional measures, and structural measures. A model based on a functional description is then presented. The paper includes a test for the validity of the model in high-tech firms producing transport aircraft. The evolution of commercial transport aircraft is based on 67 important airplanes developed for commercial purposes during the period 1964–1992.

Global reorganisation in a high-technology industry: the aircraft industry

In the aircraft industry, firms are obliged to deal not only with high technological barriers, but also with growing financial, market and organisational barriers. In order to reduce these barriers, a complex network of relationships has been developed in the last 40 years. This network involves both the major global players – firms belonging to the world oligopoly – and smaller firms capable of offering specialised technology and/or a potential broadening of the market. This network gives rise to a worldwide production organisation. This paper highlights the key elements that influence the industry and the fact that the aircraft industry is undergoing a global reorganisation featuring an integration process where a global network of different alliances, born around aircraft projects, is showing a tendency to broaden its boundaries. The enlargement seems to favour a more active role for local supply systems of small and medium firms from more industrialised countries, which appear to have the potential to reshape the structure of the international collaboration network.

A literature review on knowledge management in SMEs

This paper provides a systematic review of the literature on knowledge management (KM) in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and SME networks. The main objective is to highlight the state-of-the-art of KM from the management point of view in order to identify relevant research gaps. The review highlights that in recent years the trend of papers on the topic is growing and involves a variety of approaches, methodologies and models from different research areas. The vast majority of papers analysed focus on the topic of KM in the SME while there are only few papers analysing KM in networks populated by SMEs. The content analysis of the papers highlights six areas of investigation from which were derived ten research questions concerning three perspectives: the factors affecting KM; the impact of KM on firm’s performance; the knowledge management systems.

Using knowledge management systems

The paper provides a taxonomy of KM-Tools and KM-Practices used by SMEs.SMEs use more intensively traditional KM-Tools rather than new and more updated ones.SMEs seek to adapt practices they already know to the requirements of knowledge management.The paper shows that there is a relationship of reciprocity between KM-Tools and KM-Practices.The paper proposes a taxonomy bringing together SME strategies for using KMSs. The paper aims to highlight the degree of diffusion and the intensity of use of knowledge management systems (KMSs) among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and to propose a taxonomy that synthesises the strategies of using KMSs on the part of SMEs. Starting from a literature review on KMSs used by SMEs and from a focus group with consultants/researchers operating in the field of information technology in SMEs, an empirical investigation was designed, developed and conducted through semi-structured interviews involving 61 selected SMEs operating in high tech industries. The paper highlights three main issues regarding the use of KMSs. Firstly, SMEs adopt and use more intensively traditional tools (KM-Tools) rather than new and more updated ones that are generally cheaper and easier to use. Secondly, SMEs adopt and make more intensive use of practices (KM-Practices) that do not exclusively focus on the knowledge management process, but seek to adapt practices they already know to the requirements of knowledge management. Finally, the paper points out that there is a relationship of reciprocity between KM-Tools and KM-Practices: one reinforces the other and vice versa. The paper proposes a taxonomy bringing together SME strategies for using KMSs. Specifically, four strategies are identified: guidepost, explorer, exploiter, and latecomer.

Technological Evolution of Personal Computers and Market Implications

Abstract The aim of this article is to highlight how technological innovation in the personal computer industry is modifying both market structure and relationships between manufacturers and customers. To measure technological change a model based on the technical approach has been used. This model considers the product as a set of techno-economic characteristics. About 650 models on the personal computer market between 1988 and 1994 were considered. Two main results emerge from this article: technical innovation has reduced the distance between the conservative user and the innovative user insofar as the former can nowadays purchase, at little extra cost, high performance personal computers; whereas in the past, the personal computer was considered a machine for processing information and working on texts, today it has become an indispensable tool for a variety of multimedia services, and consequently, technological innovation has pushed firms out of the personal computer product-selling phase into a service-offering phase.

Aligning enterprise knowledge and knowledge management systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness performance: A three-dimensional Fuzzy-based decision support system

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to propose a three-dimensional fuzzy logic approach to evaluate the level of alignment between the knowledge an enterprise possesses and the knowledge management systems (KMSs) it adopts. The study also aims to propose the KMSs best suited to reducing misalignment and improving operational performance in terms of efficiency and effectiveness, analysing the level of alignment between an enterprises knowledge and its KMSs from both the ontological and epistemological points of view. The authors have used the proposed methodology to develop a software-based Knowledge Management Decision Support System (KM-DSS), which was tested on a small and medium enterprise (SME) operating in the high-tech industry. The results highlight that the proposed DSS allows managers to evaluate knowledge management processes and identify which KMSs to adopt to improve alignment with the nature of the knowledge their enterprise possesses as well as to increase their level of efficiency and effectiveness.

Knowledge management systems: the hallmark of SMEs

This paper provides an overview of the knowledge management systems (KMSs) adopted by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). KMSs are divided into two categories: knowledge management tools (KM-Tools) and knowledge management practices (KM-Practices). On the basis of the analysis of the literature, two research questions (RQs) were identified and addressed through semi-structured interviews carried out in a sample of 35 SMEs operating in high-tech industries. The first RQ concerns the degree of adoption of KMSs by SMEs. The second RQ regards the relationship between KM-Tools and KM-Practices. As far as the degree of adoption of KMSs, the paper highlights that SMEs are not a homogeneous world but there are a variety of approaches and behaviours. As far as the relationship between the degree of adoption of KM-Tools and KM-Practices, the paper identifies three groups of SMEs that seem to point out the stages of the process of adoption of KMSs: Introduction, SMEs that deal with the process of knowledge management exploiting practices and tools that are already known; Growth, SMEs that adopt specialist practices of knowledge management acquiring new organisational and managerial competence in the field of knowledge management; Maturity, SMEs that invest in new technology and that acquire new technological competence in the field of knowledge management. This categorisation paves the way for further theoretical and practical implications for both managers and policy makers.