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We developed a model to demonstrate how multiple interrelated aspects of a firm influence its recourse to third-party financing, which frequently depends on the characteristics of each food production chain.

We conducted an empirical research on a relevant sample of small- and medium-sized Italian dairy firms. Our research methodology is inspired by the grounded theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967).

Our findings illustrated that firm indebtedness is the result of intertwined variables, linked to different firm dimensions, including growth, financial structure and economic dynamics.

A portion of the analysed phenomenon is not explained using the sample and econometric tools.

There are practical implications for the decision-makers in a firm (in particular, the managers and the shareholders) as the model allows to evaluate the influence of a set of mutually interdependent firm variables for the indebtedness level.

First, we considered the recourse to third-party financing within the context of the systems theory (Millová and Blatný, 2015) and from the perspective of linked causes and mutually connected variables. Second, our research focussed on a well-defined food chain and on features of firms operating in this context. Last, our model considered the impact of the recent economic crisis, which motivated us to review the existing models.

The emerging disintegrative processes of transitional economies are influencing companies’ business models in terms of consumer behaviour, especially food markets, which offer usual, common and traditional consumer products. Beyond investigating potential consumer misbehaviour, a further aim of this study is the building of a theoretical-descriptive model for consumer misbehaviour in food markets, which could influence the contextual complexity in business relationships, as well as the management of raw materials, services acquisition and final product sales. The research applies the “input-output” model (Ferrero, 1968) to some specific marketing theories, adopting an interdisciplinary approach for understanding the relationships between consumer behaviour and a company’s business model.

The research is both qualitative and quantitative in nature. In the first phase, the research was conducted among representatives of grocery stores using an exploratory approach; thus, an in-depth interview method was used. In the second phase, direct research among consumers was conducted using an online survey. After the verification of correctness, validity and reliability, a final 1,200-questionnaire dataset was analysed

The most common consumer misbehaviour in food markets concerns the theft of foodstuff or the adoption of bad behaviour towards grocery stores employees. Market and store representatives have highlighted a large scale of pathological consumer misbehaviour, mostly due to psychological conditions at the individual (habits, lifestyle or personality) and collective (family or other social groups) levels. According to previous studies, consumer misbehaviour in food markets seems to be substantially affected by three factors: motivation, capacity and opportunity. These factors strongly impact the input-output model through which the company interacts with the context.

The three-factor model reveals advantages and applications, allowing for a simple explanation of consumer misbehaviour in food markets and stores. It can contribute to scientific theory development (especially theories related to consumer behaviour, customer relationship management, partnership marketing and supply chain management) and generate support for understanding complex relations among consumers, food producers, factories and food stores. In this direction, the management of knowledge about consumers and their behaviour is indispensable.

Big data analytics (BDA) guarantees that data may be analysed and categorised into useful information for businesses and transformed into big data related-knowledge and efficient decision-making processes, thereby improving performance. However, the management of the knowledge generated from the BDA as well as its integration and combination with firm knowledge have scarcely been investigated, despite an emergent need of a structured and integrated approach. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Through an empirical analysis based on structural equation modelling with data collected from 88 Italian SMEs, the authors tested if BDA capabilities have a positive impact on firm performances, as well as the mediator effect of knowledge management (KM) on this relationship.

The findings of this paper show that firms that developed more BDA capabilities than others, both technological and managerial, increased their performances and that KM orientation plays a significant role in amplifying the effect of BDA capabilities.

BDA has the potential to change the way firms compete through better understanding, processing, and exploiting of huge amounts of data coming from different internal and external sources and processes. Some managerial and theoretical implications are proposed and discussed in light of the emergence of this new phenomenon.

Although Business Process Management (BPM) is a critical issue and small- and medium-sized family firms (SMFFs) frequently adopt process organization, very little literature focuses on the processes by which family firms remain distinctive (Chrisman et al., 2016) or on their approach to BPM. The current research aims to fill this gap by analyzing dynamic companies’ attitudes to process-driven ability that concern exploitative as well as explorative processes. The purpose of this paper is to identify which kinds of dimensions may build an ambidextrous state in BPM in SMFFs, also favored by entrepreneurial IT capabilities and influenced by a stable but changeable context.

The authors referred to vom Brocke et al.’s (2014) study as it allows a focus on BPM research in the context of SMFFs. Then, the authors adapted the framework to the context of SMFFs. In addition, an empirical analysis has been made for applying the framework’s principles on effective BPM requirements to SMFFs. In the research, the authors applied grounded theory, according to which observation and theorization are linked by circularity, as they represent moments being managed simultaneously. The theorization emerged in different moments of the empirical surveys, influencing the next data gathering and the data gathering was the object of a de-structured matching and analysis process.

Specific cultural and cognitive aspects, values and abilities affect the company behavior of SMFFs in terms of BPM, and this is influenced by the connection between the family and the business. Therefore, it confirms that the family is a missing variable in organizational research (Dyer, 2006) also in BPM. A good BPM permits the definition of business abilities of running the current processes, along with of acclimatizing the company to a changeable context. In regard to the exploitative and explorative strengths typical of organizational ambidexterity, the research favors, respectively, transactional excellence with a focus on net cost reduction and transformational excellence based on net revenue generation. This approach requires consideration of the difference between external and internal contingencies as well as of the different processes to manage. However, despite IT-based BPM tools and the new era of IT-based process thinking, technology appropriation is only one of our dimensions, and each dimension plays a role in good BPM behavior; only a combination of dimensions favors effective and flexible BPM.

The research contributes to the literature on BPM through theoretical implications, in particular two main implications. First, the research emphasizes the impact of familiness on good BPM practice. Family appears to be a missing variable in organizational research on BPM, even though familiness affects process specificity and mechanisms. Second, the research is based on certain category dimensions that characterize management models common in the literature, allowing the application of BPM in FFs by taking advantage of their confidence and adaptability. Limitations are related to different points of view on the model’s scope and design, the recipient and the research method.

The research has two main practical implications, representing managerial potential, that improve the significance and originality of the research in internal and external contexts. In the internal context, this permits a new BPM mind-set.

The research is original for the following two reasons. First, when FF complexity grows and/or new organizational issues emerge, FFs are faced with two challenges: an increased number of complex processes to handle, along with a lack of IT-based BPM for organizational ambidexterity. In such a context, this research can suggest a solution. Second, the research is based on dimensions that have been widely characterized in general management models. For this reason, FFs may already be familiar with these dimensions. In addition, the model strongly valorizes the familiness impact on BPM development and takes into consideration the context awareness of the company.

Innovation in rural tourism and hospitality (RT) is a complex process that involves the exchange of knowledge and resources between many actors and the interrelationships between those actors in the business environment. The purpose of this paper is to provide structure to this “knowledge and resource ecosystem” through a thorough systematic review of the extant literature.

The current study uses a time-tested and reproducible systematic literature review process to identify and analyse 79 research papers that have discussed innovation in RT.

Through content analyses, this review identifies critical stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem, as well as the enabling and hindering roles these stakeholders play in innovation. The thematic analysis uncovers three key research foci: stakeholders and their roles, outcomes of innovation and business model innovation. The review also identifies types of innovation and critically analyses the bibliographical research profile. The authors summarise the findings in an RT innovation ecosystem model, which includes the various actors and their knowledge and resource sharing roles within the business environment.

This is one of the first systematic reviews to concentrate on RT innovation and, within that focus, on knowledge and resource networks in particular rather than on innovation in tourism in general, which was the focus of prior reviews. The authors encourage cross-pollination of ideas by introducing theories from the strategic management, innovation, knowledge management and business model innovation literature wherever appropriate. To consolidate and present the findings on the innovation process’s antecedents and outcomes, the authors present an ecosystem of innovation within the RT framework.

The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence regarding the contributions of ambidextrous workforces as a source of value for dynamic companies and organizations facing emerging market turbulence.

Using structural equation modeling, the paper analyses the data collected via a semi-structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 1,227 employees from 37 Italian small- to medium-sized enterprises to investigate the effect on companies’ economic performance of ambidextrous workforce-related elements such as study background, previous work experience, work flexibility and soft capabilities.

The research shows that multidisciplinary human resources’ study background, previous human resources’ work experience and human resources’ soft capabilities are positively linked to companies’ return on sales, providing indirect evidence about the role of ambidextrous workforces in supporting companies facing emerging market turbulence.

The research demonstrates the relevant role of human resources in supporting companies to better align themselves to the emerging social and economic variety.

This study aims to extend the knowledge in the domain of intellectual capital and entrepreneurship by investigating whether happiness may have a positive influence on entrepreneurial initiative and intellectual property or not.

The used large-scale dataset for 2018 is drawn from the Eurostat. It includes information on individual happiness, sustainability, start-ups, creativity, intellectual property and quality of life, grouped by European countries. Hypotheses are tested through using the linear regression method.

The findings confirm that happiness, along with creativity, fosters both entrepreneurial initiative and intellectual property.

Future studies should test the model by extending the analysis to different world regions and by considering further variables, such as country culture.

The study suggests that policy makers have to focus on improving life conditions and sustainability as a means to foster local economies and communities.

This cutting-edge study is unique in its genus, because the prior literature never focused on these topics jointly. At an academic level, it ties happiness to creativity and to “the entrepreneurial spirit”, thus opening up to a new and vast domain of researches.

The purpose of this paper is to create a conceptual model that practically assists companies to produce an effective voluntary external intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) and valorises both the company’s and the stakeholders’ role. It illustrates the relationship among voluntary ICD mechanisms and it takes into consideration the feedback mechanism from external stakeholders.

Nielsen and Madsen’s (2009) study constitutes the framework of the conceptual model, as it refers to a “sender to receiver” model, which is particularly useful for the research.

An effective ICD may only be achieved through a combination of decisions taking into account each individual company’s needs and those of stakeholders’ ones. In addition, the dimensions on which the conceptual model is based are already in use in other widespread disclosure models, and this favours the company.

Limitations concern design features, recipients and validity of the conceptual model. In terms of theoretical implications, the model emphasizes an “integrated ICD” approach; in addition, the model is based on some dimensions which characterize widespread and general communication models already in use.

First, this relates to the production of an effective ICD when considered as “one-way information”, from the company to the stakeholders. Second, this relates to the interaction between the company and its stakeholders, within a dyadic exchange.

The conceptual model is based on some dimensions which characterize widespread and general communication models already in use, which in the model are applied to ICD. Therefore, companies may favour making an ICD, as they are already confident and familiar with these dimensions.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on how a medium-sized company operating in the food sector should strengthen its business model, thanks to a combination between tradition and innovation.

This research focuses on one case study. The subject of the case study under analysis is Golosità dal 1885, an internationally recognized fine food Italian company.

Golosità dal 1885 is characterized by a strong combination of tradition and innovation, both in products and processes. The company’s competitiveness is the result of a balanced management of innovation, in respect of the family’s values, thanks to the active presence of two family generations.

This study is characterized for some limitations, related to the method and to the choice of a single case study. In terms of theoretical implications, the study emphasizes the importance of the link between the food sector and the region it is rooted in.

Practical implications relate to different groups of stakeholders: for owners and management, for investors, for organizations and institutions working on a territory promotion and in the tourism sector, and for politicians and local authorities.

The originality of the research is represented by a focusing on how a strategy based on an effective combination between tradition and innovation should increase the competitive advantage, especially in a mature sector – as the food one – characterized by the need to offer a differentiated and innovative range of products and services for overcoming the consumptions crisis.