Suchergebnisse

AbstractWe investigate how the procurement activity of government‐funded science organizations support the performance of the firms involved in their supply chain. Specifically, the aim of the paper is to identify the mechanisms and disentangle the channels driving this process.Our testing ground is the Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN). We frame our study as a mixed‐methods research project: three distinct but complementary methodologies are employed, which combine quantitative and qualitative evidence. Firstly, econometric and Bayesian Network analyses are performed, using the information collected through an online survey to suppliers as well as balance‐sheet data extracted from online databases. Then, five case studies are investigated in depth, carrying out direct interviews with company staff.Our findings suggest that four types of benefits stem from suppliers' cooperation with INFN: learning, innovation, market penetration, and networking. These gains represent "intermediate outputs" which in turn impact on suppliers' socio‐economic performance. We provide evidence that suppliers involved in innovative procurement usually experience the greatest benefits. This is mainly explained by the new technical competencies acquired, which are exploited to develop new products that support company business development and sales. In contrast, reputational gains, leading to the acquisition of new clients, are experienced also by companies involved in regular procurement.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the coherence between sustainability conceptualization (the "what") and its implementation (the "how") in terms of implemented actions and stakeholders' interactions. The paper proposes a grid approach for the simultaneous evaluation of sustainability conceptualization and implementation.


Design/methodology/approach
This research is based on a multiple case study conducted in ten Italian Universities. In-depth interviews with general directors and administrative staff responsible for sustainable activities have been conducted together with documents and websites analysis.


Findings
The coherence between sustainability conceptualization and its implementation showed heterogeneity of practice. Results propose a grid approach, which highlights six different approaches to explain the connection between the "what" and the "how" of sustainability.


Research limitations/implications
The research is focused on Italian universities and may have overlooked approaches to campus sustainability specific of other countries.


Practical implications
Understanding the coherence between the "what" and the "how" of sustainability can provide university managers with a practical tool of analysis when approaching and evaluating the sustainable campus.


Originality/value
While higher education scholars are widely exploring the conceptualization of a sustainable campus and its implementation, little is known about the coherence between these two realms, despite their importance to facilitate the transition of sustainability vision into real practice. This study contributes to this area by proposing a grid approach to evaluate the coherence between sustainability conceptualization and implementation.

The cross-sectional nature of cultural policy has led to the proliferation of partnerships among the public, private, and societal sectors, particularly at the local level. Despite the increase in such collaborations, there is little academic research on how actor diversity is shaping local cultural governance. This study aims to understand how actor diversity affects governance dimensions in a Cultural District in Italy. Our findings suggest a number of challenges for local government, which render them vulnerable to political instability, perpetuate power and resource imbalances, and undermine leadership.

Purpose
Public networks studies have widely diffused in recent years, but scant attention has been devoted to network change. By endorsing the notion of critical crossroads to describe a crucial turning point for the network survival, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how and why a goal-directed network changes, considering both the benefits and the constraints of the change.


Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a longitudinal case study based upon an interventionist research approach (Jönsson and Lukka, 2006), with the researchers being immersed in the network life of a group of Italian public universities over a period of 17 years.


Findings
This paper proposes an empirical derived framework about network evolution that identifies two different types of crossroads (i.e. resource-driven crossroads and management driven) as drivers for network evolution. The main determinant behind these crisis situation were found in the heterogeneity of the network actors and, while overcoming the crossroads, informal sub-networks were found emerging.


Originality/value
This study enlarges current public network literature by focusing specifically on how and why networks change, an aspect underinvestigated by current literature.