Valter Cantino

Place-based network organizations and embedded entrepreneurial learning: Emerging paths to sustainability

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an original six-phase model describing entrepreneurial learning in the transition of place-based enterprises toward a sustainable exploitation of natural common resources (commons). Design/methodology/approach The six-phase model proposed by this study explains the learning processes involving place-based enterprises through two important existing theories: adaptive co-management and Lachmann’s evolutionary, embedded theory of entrepreneurship. The proposed model integrates these two theories on the basis of a longitudinal case study on the fishing enterprises in an Italian marine protected area (MPA). Findings In the case study, the success factors identified by the adaptive co-management literature proved important in enabling an embedded entrepreneurial learning process consistent with Lachmann’s view. The case analysis allowed the authors to cluster these learning processes around six phases. Further, even if traditional fishing is not knowledge-intensive, this case shows the transition to a sustainable business model required intense efforts of educated institutional work and scientific research. Interestingly, the key learning processes were enabled by the emergence of a larger, networked social entity (a network form of organization) including the community of fishermen, the MPA management and a network of scientists studying the marine area ecosystem. Research limitations/implications This study is explorative and relies on a single case study. Despite this limitation, it opens up new research paths in the fields of entrepreneurship, institutional work, network organizations and adaptive management of the commons. Originality/value This study is strongly interdisciplinary; it proposes an original model based on a theoretical view that is highly innovative for organization and management studies; and addresses a relevant but overlooked issue with important societal implications.

Business School Innovation Through a Service Science Approach: Organizational and Performance Measurement Issues

In many cases, there is a serious gap between the needs of real-world organizations and the skills that business school graduates actually develop during their studies. In order to close this gap, innovative pedagogic solutions can be implemented in business schools, such as hands-on, work-group information systems courses; but such changes may imply serious budget and organizational problems, also because of the inertial nature of university institutions. Service science is emerging as a very promising approach to tackle the challenges implied in such practice-oriented, demand-driven innovation of educational services. In this paper, we apply a service science approach to propose a bottom-up re-design of the educational service system in a representative case: the School of Management and Economics of the university of Turin, Italy. We identify the network of stakeholders and propose a model in which students, graduates and firms interested in hiring specialized personnel play an active role in co-creating the value delivered by the university educational services. Finally, we outline the main performance measurement and organizational issues implied by this project.

Corporate governance and financial performance for engaging socially and environmentally responsible practices

Purpose This paper aims to reconcile the conflicting understanding on the nexus between corporate governance (CG), corporate financial performance (CFP) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) by investigating how companies engage with CSR practices. Design/methodology/approach The study carries out a multivariate linear regression analysis on a sample of 361 listed companies from five countries in Europe: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. Findings CG mechanisms and CFP have an impact on CSR because they affect social and environmental practices strongly and significantly. Furthermore, the findings describe the capacity of CSR to influence both the CG structure and the CFP. Research limitations/implications The present research limits the analysis on the social and environmental performance of companies that communicate their commitment to stakeholders without distinguishing between “greenwashing” companies that implement CSR to improve corporate reputation and those companies that pursue effective societal benefits, taking care of stakeholder relationships. Practical implications The CSR approach can drive the CG structure and improve CFP if managers perceive the implementation of sustainable practices as an integrated process rather than a mere outcome. Originality/value This paper seeks to disentangle the nexus between CG, CFP and CSR, not yet precisely defined by scholars in the context of five countries in Europe.

E-Procurement as a Driver for Strategic Management: A Discrete-Event Model

The goal of this work is to evaluate, by means of discrete event based simulation, the impact associated with the adoption of e-Procurement tools across Public Administration. The simulation model presented here involves both traditional and electronic procurement forms. The comparison between the two approaches will point out the benefits of e-Procurement in terms of labor costs, length of time and number of employers required. The process representation model can also be used to carry on what-if analysis, in order to detect critical points and simulate alternative scenarios.