Silvia Cosimato

Green supply chain management

Purpose – Globalization has led worldwide organizations to balance their economic and environmental performances in order to achieve a concrete sustainable development. In an environmental centered world, logistics is called to put into action advanced programs based on technological and organizational improvement, in order to gain or maintain a concrete competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how logistics organizations try to face the recent ecological challenges and the role that the emergent green technologies play in making them finally “green” and competitive. Design/methodology/approach – Green supply chain management (GSCM) practices have been investigated to better understand their influence on economic performance and corporate competitiveness. After providing a background discussion on Green Logistics and GSCM, the authors have also identified specific research questions that are worthy of investigation, also thorough the DHL case study. The case study analysis has be...

Dream or reality? A recipe for sustainable and innovative health care ecosystems

Purpose Service ecosystems are gaining credence among management scholars. However, there is still little agreement about the distinguishing attributes of service ecosystems in both the public and the private sectors. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the health care service system, suggesting a “recipe” for the implementation of a sustainable and innovative health care service ecosystem. Design/methodology/approach A mixed methodology was used. First, a critical literature review was conducted to lay the conceptual foundations of this study. Then a theory about the institutional, organizational and managerial requisites for the implementation of a health care service ecosystem was developed. Findings The health care sector is appropriate for the core tenets of the service ecosystem perspective. Tailored interventions aimed at improving the functioning of the health care service ecosystem should be implemented at the micro, meso, macro and mega levels. Patient empowerment, patient-centered care and integrated care are the fundamental ingredients of the recipe for effective health care service ecosystems. Practical implications The ecosystem approach provides health policy makers with interesting insights to help shape the health care service system of the future. The paper also contributes to the innovation of managerial practices emphasizing the role of patient involvement in the design and delivery of health care. Originality/value This is one of the first attempts to systematize scientific knowledge about service ecosystems in the health care sector. An agenda for further research is suggested, in order to further advance the establishment of an effective and innovative health care service ecosystem.

Improving health care quality: the implementation of whistleblowing

In line with the current literature, the purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of whistleblowing procedures and their influence on overall organisational quality. To this end, institutional, organisational, and cultural barriers to whistleblowing implementation have been investigated.,A qualitative analysis based on three explorative case studies investigates and compares different whistleblowing practices implemented in health care organisations, operating within the Italian National Health Service (INHS).,INHS organisations have implemented whistleblowing procedures in different ways, despite the fact that the procedures are laid down by law. These differences are mainly due to cultural, administrative, organisational, and process barriers, which have a deep impact on whistleblowing integration in managerial practices and their influence on the overall quality of health processes and services.,This research paper was limited by the analysis of three Italian public health care organisations, which did not allow the generalisability of findings. Therefore, the study offers interesting insights on the way effective whistleblowing systems should be implemented in order to support managers to improve organisation’s management and service quality.,The paper represents one of the first attempts to structurally analyse the practice of whistleblowing in an Italian healthcare system. Therefore the study has mainly focussed not only on the analysis of whistleblowing practices, but also on their impacts on the improvement of organisational processes’ quality and, subsequently, on social well-being.

A strenuous path for sustainable supply chains in the footwear industry: A business strategy issue

Abstract In the age of sustainability, the fashion industry is very concerned about environmental and social issues; nevertheless, it is considered not completely sustainable. This study investigated the sustainable orientation of the complex and under-investigated footwear industry. This paper presents the results of an exploratory, case-based research highlighting the internal and external drivers that footwear companies perceive as relevant in terms of sustainable configuration of their supply chain and the subsequent impact on their business. The study analyzed all the stages of the footwear supply chain to better define which processes and decision-making practices can lead companies to make their supply chains sustainable. The findings showed the existence of different approaches and a different influence on the internal and external drivers; the relevant roles of corporate values and the values of entrepreneurs are highlighted.

Service Innovations in the Healthcare Service Ecosystem: A Case Study

In the service economy, scholars and practitioners are even more focused on the development and appliance of innovative services. The importance of service innovation is rising in many sectors and among different organizations. Several disciplines (e.g., marketing, management, operations research, etc.) deal with this innovation, a concept widely used, but with different definitions. In this paper, service innovation has been analyzed according to the Service Dominant Logic (S-D Logic) and a service ecosystem perspective. The literature still calls for a greater understanding of how a new or renewed combination of resources affects the shaping of service ecosystems. To contribute to filling this gap, this study explores the practices that different actors, enact to co-create value in novel ways; i.e., service innovation. The paper is structured as follows. In the first section, the main academic contributions on service research have been reviewed, focusing on healthcare service innovation. This is followed by the research method and discussion of the research findings. Finally, the theoretical and managerial implications have been detailed and an agenda for future research suggested. The paper offers interesting insights to develop new or renewed practices that foster the reshaping and maintaining of a healthcare service ecosystem. Some recommendations are included to support managers in the development of service innovation strategies.

Interplaying ecosystems: a mega-level analysis of education and labour ecosystems

Purpose The ecosystem view is a fascinating perspective which provides management scholars with innovative conceptual tools to investigate the functioning of complex service systems. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the “mega” level of the education service ecosystem in an attempt to explain the relationships between education attainments and income disparities across Europe. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions. Data trends over the time period (2007-2010) were investigated, involving 27 European countries. Unobserved time-invariant heterogeneity was controlled and dynamics over time were investigated. A random effects model was estimated for each country. The semi-log functional form is informed by Mincer’s (1974) human capital models. Findings Education levels were found to be a predictor of income inequality in all the countries included in this research, i.e. higher education level leads to higher income and vice versa. However, the effect of education attainments on individual earnings was irregular. Eastern European countries, inter alia, revealed a strong relationship between education attainments and individual earnings, whereas Scandinavian countries showed a weak link between education levels and income. Practical implications Education has the potential to affect income inequalities in Europe. Policy makers should develop tailored strategies to deal with the consequences of education levels on individual earnings. Both education services’ quality and the interaction between education and moderating socio-demographic variables may influence income inequality in European countries. Originality/value This is one of the first attempts to investigate the relationship between education and income inequalities drawing on the service ecosystem perspective. Further conceptual and practical developments are needed to better explain the effects of education attainments on income inequality.

Customer-centric service innovation in health care: findings from a case study

Purpose of the paper: Embracing a service based approach, the present study is aimed at investigating the development of a patient-centred service innovation and its rising in the actors’ value networks. Methodology: A qualitative analysis based on an extreme case study has been performed. The investigation delved on a leading company offering specialized solutions for the treatment of chronic kidney diseases. Findings: The study shed lights on those factors (e.g. resource openness, resource sharing, resource recombination and institutions generation) that stimulate patients’ disposition to identify co-creation opportunities, which effects span from micro, to meso and macro level. Service innovation spreads its outcomes both for the involved actors and for the well-being of the whole health care service ecosystem. Research limits: This paper was limited by the analysis of a single health care provider, which did not allow the generalizability of findings. Further research is needed to better understand this intriguing topic, in order to grasp the relationship between actor engagement and service innovation. Practical implications: The logic underling this study highlighted the importance that patient engagement has at different ecosystem levels and its influence on the resource integration at the roots of service innovation. The understanding of these practices will support health care managers in finding new ways to engage patients in the improvement of personal and collective health services. Originality of the paper: This work represents one of the first attempts to theoretically and empirically conceptualize health innovation embracing a service ecosystem perspective.

Exploring sustainable behaviour in international footwear supply chain management

The fashion industry is commonly considered to be unsustainable, being responsible for several economic, social and environmental burdens in which companies and their supply chains are involved. Scholars refer to fashion as a cross-sector, grouping companies active in different and highly competitive businesses, such as clothing, accessories, eyewear, jewellery, textiles and footwear. Among these, fashion footwear is still under investigated. Consequently, this study aims at exploring a fashion footwear companys orientation towards sustainability, and the way it affects the configuration and management of its supply chain. More in depth, the paper aims to explore the main drivers of a fashion footwear companys sustainable behaviour and their influence on the emergence of new business opportunities. The findings have revealed the importance of particular capabilities embedded in sustainable behaviour. These capabilities are constantly developed through synergistic actions with employees, suppliers, business clients, consumers and NGOs, which are able in this way to nourish the business sustainability. Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) orientation has led to a general reshaping of both inbound and outbound supply chains, configuring an integrated supply chain in which a new sustainable business model is configured.

Comparing two approaches to team building: a performance measurement evaluation

Purpose This paper reports a study that compares two different team-building approaches. The first one is the traditional top-down management approach. The second one is a hybrid bottom-up approach based on the consensus model. The aim of this paper is to determine which of the two approaches is the most effective across a number of performance measurements. Design/methodology/approach A case study is presented using data collected and analysed from a small family-owned vehicle maintenance firm. A mixed methods approach to data collection is utilized, including participant observation, focus groups, survey questionnaires and organizational performance reports. A convenience sample of eight routine maintenance jobs was selected for team performance comparison purposes. The measures used for comparing the two team approaches were lead time, customer satisfaction ratings and employees’ satisfaction ratings. Findings The teams assembled using the consensus approach performed better than those selected using the traditional top-down approach across all three performance measures, i.e. the jobs were completed faster and both customers and employees were more satisfied. Research limitations/implications This is an exploratory case study limited to one small family-owned business and, as such, findings may not be generalizable. Practical implications As an alternative to manager selected work teams, managers should involve and empower employees to select their own teams. This has the potential to offer benefits for both customers and employees of faster delivery times and increase satisfaction, as well as increase productivity for the firm. Originality/value This is the first field study to compare the performance of a hybrid, bottom-up approach to team building with the performance of a more traditional management, top-down approach to team building. It paves the way for a wider study to be conducted in the future to test the findings’ generalizability.