Bruno Škrinjarić and Polona Domadenik
Industry 4.0 processes brought dramatic changes in skills and competences needed at the firm level. The purpose of this paper is: to identify and quantify key competences required…
Abstract
Purpose
Industry 4.0 processes brought dramatic changes in skills and competences needed at the firm level. The purpose of this paper is: to identify and quantify key competences required for workers with economics-and-business background; to evaluate development level of those competences among the currently employed workforce; to investigate degree of match between required and currently developed competences; and finally to assess how this (mis)match translates to firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This research is based on primary data, collected through questionnaires, and secondary data of firms’ financial and structural characteristics. Key competences were estimated using factor analysis and were then used as covariates in explaining differences in firms’ performance in both static and dynamic production function specifications using standard regression model, Heckman selection model and Arellano–Bond estimation.
Findings
Results show that mismatches in competences basic algebra; collectedness, conflict resolution and presentation; and motivation and organization are all negatively associated in explaining the variation of firm performance, with motivation and organization having the most significant effect.
Originality/value
This paper focuses on competence mismatch by including both sides of the labor market (employers and employees) in the analysis. This paper offers: a theoretical structure for understanding and investigating existing competence mismatches; a step-by-step industry-driven method for deriving key required competences, including an initial exploratory phase (combination of literature review, exploratory interviews and pilot study) followed by a descriptive and implementation phases (design, implementation and analysis of nationally representative survey); and finally, analysis phase (associating competence mismatches to firm performance).
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Ivan-Damir Anic, Jelena Budak, Edo Rajh, Vedran Recher, Vatroslav Skare and Bruno Skrinjaric
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between individual and societal determinants of online privacy concern (OPC) and behavioral intention of internet…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between individual and societal determinants of online privacy concern (OPC) and behavioral intention of internet users. The study also aims to assess the degree of reciprocity between consumers’ perceived benefits of using the internet and their OPC in the context of their decision-making process in the online environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The study proposes comprehensive model for analysis of antecedents and consequences of OPC. Empirical analysis is performed using the PLS–SEM approach on a representative sample of 2,060 internet users.
Findings
The findings show that computer anxiety and perceived quality of regulatory framework are significant antecedents of OPC, while traditional values and inclinations toward security, family and social order; and social trust are not. Furthermore, the study reveals that perceived benefits of using the internet are the predominant factor explaining the intention to share personal information and adopt new technologies, while OPC dominates in explanation of protective behavior.
Research limitations/implications
Although the authors tested an extended model, there might be other individual characteristics driving the level of OPC. This research covers just one country and further replications should be conducted to confirm findings in diverse socio-economic contexts. It is impossible to capture the real behavior with survey data, and experimental studies may be needed to verify the research model.
Practical implications
Managers should work toward maximizing perceived benefits of consumers’ online interaction with the company, while at the same time being transparent about the gathered data and their intended purpose. Considering the latter, companies should clearly communicate their compliance with the emerging new data protection regulation.
Originality/value
New extended model is developed and empirically tested, consolidating current different streams of research into one conceptual model.
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Filomena Izzo, Viktoriia Tomnyuk and Rosaria Lombardo
In the intellectual capital literature, no studies have examined the causal relationship between Italian Fintech companies' performance and intellectual capital, especially the…
Abstract
Purpose
In the intellectual capital literature, no studies have examined the causal relationship between Italian Fintech companies' performance and intellectual capital, especially the impact of digital industrialization on human capital. This paper aims to fill this gap in measuring human capital efficiency in the Italian Fintech market.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopt Pulic's model and define the intellectual capital through three components (human capital, structural capital and capital employed) and perform an exploratory analysis of the Italian Fintech companies by using principal component analysis. Then the authors investigate the effects of the intellectual capital and its components on the Italian Fintech companies' performance by using parametric and nonparametric regression models.
Findings
Results of regression models reveal that human capital and employed capital are positively related to the companies' performance, except for the structural capital.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses on the Italian level, and future research could be extended to different European countries or to the global Fintech market. Moreover, it is advised to explore more components that contribute to intellectual capital measurement inside the companies operating in the 4.0 industrial revolution, such as the innovative capital and the relational capital.
Practical implications
This study proposes a new vision for managerial procedures to find which features are critical for achieving profitability in this digital era. The study offers interesting reflections on the management decisions for both companies and public decision-makers. Results suggest that, among intellectual capital components, human capital plays a strategic role for the knowledge-intensive companies that are interested in potentiating their performance and competitiveness. Furthermore, this study finds that human capital is critical factor for achieving profitability in this digital era.
Social implications
The Fintech sector is one that most benefited from the Digital Revolution, and if it is adequately managed, it can bring great benefits in terms of major employment, especially for the young population, and bring major financial inclusiveness all over the world.
Originality/value
This is the first study that examines the Italian Fintech market and analyzes the dependence relationship between companies' performance and intellectual capital components, identifying the role of human capital in a new completely digital sector. The analysis findings are strategic for the business decisions-making process.