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This paper presents a mathematical model for the analysis of cohesive fracture propagation through a non‐homogeneous porous medium. Governing equations are stated within the frame of Biot's theory, accounting for the flow through the solid skeleton, along the fracture and across its sides toward the surrounding medium. The numerical solution is obtained in a 2D context, exploiting the capabilities of an efficient mesh generator, and requires continuous updating of the domain as the fractures enucleate and propagate. It results that fracture paths and their velocity of propagation, usually assumed as known, are supplied directly by the model without introducing any simplifying assumption.

This study aims to verify the presence, evolution and determinants of voluntary environmental disclosure from companies listed on the Milan Stock Exchange. The authors examined documentation of listed firms from 2006 and 2009. These years immediately precede and follow Italian legislative decree n. 32/2007, which introduced (albeit on a voluntary basis) disclosure of environment-related company information.

The authors’ approach utilizes multivariate regression analysis. The disclosure index of the years 2006 and 2009 represents the dependent variable. Independent variables include firm size, business industry, public shareholders, legislation and environmental performance.

The results show positive effects on environmental disclosure related to legislative decree n. 32, the presence of government shareholdings in firms’ ownership structure, business industry and firm size. The interrelation between firm size and environmental performance shows that large companies give more information only if they produce more environmental pollution, to legitimize themselves to stakeholders.

Despite the authors’ contributions concerning environmental information described in the Introduction, they must express two limitations of their analysis. First, the sample analyzed is quite small (only 44 firms). Second, carbon dioxide emissions was chosen as an indicator of atmospheric pollution, yet emissions information has not been provided by Italian firms (even those that are listed on the Milan Stock Exchange), despite being accepted internationally as a measure of environmental performance in business. In addition, in Italy, there is no database ranking firms on corporate social responsibility (CSR).

There are many reasons behind the weak or even negative roles of managers regarding social and environmental disclosure. These reasons include a dearth of resources, the profit imperative, lack of legal requirements, insufficient knowledge or awareness, poor performance and fear of bad publicity. What seems to be a real obstacle is the lack of knowledge about non-financial disclosure – in particular, how to gauge, produce and release information when it comes to a firm’s interaction with environment and society, and this void causes low levels of disclosure and even the absence of such action. Some of the reasons for non-disclosure might be attributed to a lack of awareness and knowledge among corporate managers regarding CSR reporting, in general, and disclosure on eco-justice issues, in particular.

The first contribution of this work is to realize, for the first time, a specific analysis on Italian firms’ environmental disclosures. Moreover, the study extends this analysis to all entities’ informative documents. This paper also allows an examination of effects of new legislation that encourages environmental information in a corporation’s financial annual report. Finally, this is the first paper to conduct quantitative analysis on firms in the Italian financial market concerning environmental disclosure, as well as regression analysis to identify determinants of firms’ disclosure.

The growth, diversity and applications of research into dynamic capabilities (DCs) have resulted in the whole literature on DCs becoming a complex and disconnected body of knowledge. This has led to criticisms of the subject of DCs as being vague, tautological and without practical value. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to synthesize the diverse scholarly literature about DCs and develop a more integrated understanding to minimize the reported apparent vagueness.

In this paper, the authors review various relevant themes on DCs using a selection of 133 articles published in 22 recognized, top-tier management journals during the period between 1990 and 2016, with an aim to build a structured and integrated theory. For this, morphological analysis (MA), a systems-thinking technique, is applied.

MA is applied to develop a multi-dimensional conceptual framework comprising five dimensions and 26 variants that enable a structured representation of the conceptual foundations of DCs. Further, the authors identify 81 individual DCs noted by various scholars; elucidate assumptions and antecedents relevant to the DCs approach; structure the key characteristics; and expound the input factors, impacting factors, desired outcomes and assessment yardsticks.

This would be a useful resource for researchers working in the area of DCs to explore opportunities for future research.

The MA framework helps managers to look at DCs more holistically, and hence would help them in developing, managing and retaining DCs in organizations.

This study is the original work contributed by the authors and has no specific organizational reference. This research implies new directions to look beyond individual DCs in firms toward a more integrated theory building.

This inquiry aims to determine the features and mechanisms that specially enable a multiteam system (MTS) to develop ambidexterity that can deal effectively with rapid changes in dynamic environments. The MTS is an emerging organizational unit comprised of tightly integrated networks of teams that may originate from one or more firms. The inquiry also considered how an MTS can engage those features and mechanisms to maximize ambidexterity as dynamic capabilities for increased innovation and long-term adaptation under complex, volatile conditions.

This conceptual inquiry integrates the emerging research on MTSs with theory and studies relating to ambidexterity and dynamic capabilities. This inquiry focuses on the attributes and linkages that specially characterize an MTS. It analyzes these to determine the key mechanisms and interactions enabling and engaging ambidexterity at MTS unit level.

MTSs can engage powerful mechanisms for ambidexterity functioning as dynamic capabilities at meso-organizational level. The attributes and linkages that distinguish an MTS from other units enable it to deal effectively and efficiently with near-term task demands by simultaneously balancing the essential tasks of exploration and exploitation, and by being able to rapidly adapt by reconfiguring taskwork and reallocating resources as required for sustainable innovation and long-term success within a dynamic environment.

This inquiry provides valuable insights for designing MTSs that are equipped with selected teams, flexible memberships, specialized skills and permeable interfaces. Autonomy for an MTS allows the unit to span internal and external organizational boundaries to gain access to new discoveries and to exchange information and material resources for increased innovation. Ambidexterity as dynamic capabilities facilitates exploitation of current resources by efficiently reconfiguring taskwork and reallocating materials for adaptation and competitive advantage.

This inquiry appears to represent the most integrative effort to examine the underexplored potential of MTSs for developing and engaging ambidexterity functioning as dynamic capabilities. The inquiry appears to be a first effort at articulating a concept of MTS ambidexterity distinct from organizational ambidexterity. The analysis synthesizes a systems model that guides organizational leaders and opens new opportunities for future research.

The purpose of this paper is to understand a typology of eco-innovation that best characterizes an innovation incubator, with the aim of strengthening the management of this habitat to leverage the development of new eco-innovation technologies.

The typologies of 22 studies identified in the Web of Science, Scopus, Scielo and Science Direct databases were analyzed through a theoretical and descriptive study and method of systematic literature review. In the typologies analyzed, none were found that fit directly into the environment of an innovation incubator.

The most detailed typology, by Fernando et al. (2015), is characterized as a type of eco-innovation developed in a specific market, but it does not address the characteristics of this innovation habitat, which is the incubator.

Thus, based on the typologies presented, this paper demonstrates the construction of an instrument that contemplates the authors analyzed, with emphasis on its application in incubators.

This paper demonstrates the construction of an instrument that contemplates the authors analyzed, with emphasis on the application in incubators.

This study aims to design a controller which can improve the end-effector low-frequency chattering resulting from the measurement noise and the time delay in the on-orbit tasks. The rendezvous point will move along the rendezvous ring owing to the error of the camera, and the manipulators’ collision need be avoided. In addition, owing to the dynamics coupling, the manipulators’ motion will disturb the spacecraft, and the low tracking accuracy of the end-effector needs to be improved.

This paper proposes a minimum disturbance controller based on the synchronous and adaptive acceleration planning to improve the tracking error and the disturbance energy. The synchronous and adaptive acceleration planning method plans the optimal rendezvous point and designs synchronous approaching method and provides an estimation method of the rendezvous point acceleration. A minimum disturbance controller is designed based on the energy conservation to optimize the disturbance resulting from the manipulator’s motion.

The acceleration planning method avoids the collision of two end-effectors and reduces the error caused by the low-frequency chattering. The minimum disturbance controller minimizes the disturbance energy of the manipulators’ motion transferred to the spacecraft. Experiment results show that the proposed method improves the low-frequency chattering, and the average position tracking error reduces by 30%, and disturbance energy reduces by 30% at least. In addition, it has good performances in the synchronous motion and adaptive tracking.

Given the immeasurability of the target satellite acceleration in space, this paper proposes an estimation method of the acceleration. This paper proposes a synchronous and adaptive acceleration planning method. In addition, the rendezvous points are optimized to avoid the two end-effectors collisions. By the energy conservation, the minimum disturbance controller is designed to ensure a satisfying tracking error and reduce the disturbance energy resulting from the manipulators’ motion.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the originality value of the lean manufacturing (LM) studies carried out worldwide so far.

Four major publishers, namely, Emerald Online, Science Direct, Springer Link and Taylor and Francis provided the databases for a systematic literature review (SLR) of peer-reviewed journal articles in LM. In total, 211 articles published in 52 journals during 2005-2016 were collected. The affinity diagram was applied to group the originality value statements identified into logical themes.

The plethora of originality value statements identified in the literature are analytically presented. Furthermore, meaningful themes of the originality value of the LM studies are formulated.

Some publishers might have been missed out in this SLR, given that it is based on only four academic publishers.

Identifying the originality value of the existing LM studies and presenting respective meaningful themes can help researchers and practitioners design their future research and implementation plans, respectively.

The originality value of the LM studies is a subject which has not been reviewed in the literature previously.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors affecting the growth of companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), the London Stock Exchange market for young and growing companies.

The author investigates post-initial public offering (IPO) growth for a panel of 665 companies listed on the AIM between 1995 and 2006. The empirical model uses the generalized method of moment-System (GMM-SYS) estimator.

The findings confirm that small companies listed on the AIM grow more quickly after the IPO. It seems that both human capital and firm characteristics are important determinants of their rapid growth.

The results of this study have some implications for policy. Policy makers should take account of the relevance of an efficient financial system. It is important also to consider the process of transformation of the cultural and behavioural attitudes of various countries towards entrepreneurship.

This paper analyses the determinants of firm growth in a particular entrepreneurial setting, that is, IPO on the AIM, the sub-market of the London Stock Exchange.

Literature contributions to Lean manufacturing (LM) are fragmented and show some significant limitations. The purpose of this paper is to identify the existing research gaps in LM as well as to group them into respective themes.

A systematic literature review (SLR) of peer reviewed journal articles in LM was carried out by the authors, based on four major publishers, namely, Emerald Online, Science Direct, Springer Link and Taylor & Francis. In total, 120 articles published in 30 journals during 2005–2016 were collected which revealed LM research gaps. A simple affinity diagram was applied in order to group the research gaps into logical themes.

A large number of research gaps are identified in the LM literature and meaningful themes of these gaps are also revealed.

The SLR carried out by the authors is based on only four academic journal publishers and some of other publishers might have been missed out in this search. Excluding articles focusing on an individual Lean principle or tool/technique is also a limitation of the present SLR.

Researchers and practitioners can use the LM research gaps presented in this study for further development of LM methodology.

Presenting LM research gaps analytically and grouping them into meaningful themes, significantly differentiates the present SLR study from those published so far.