Paola Garrone, Lucia Piscitello, Matilde d’Amelio and Emanuela Colombo
Integration between the different components of development is a major aspiration of the 2030 agenda, but the efforts of firms that intend to contribute simultaneously to multiple…
Abstract
Integration between the different components of development is a major aspiration of the 2030 agenda, but the efforts of firms that intend to contribute simultaneously to multiple development trajectories may be hindered by trade-offs that occur between the different sustainable development goals (SDGs) and targets. At the same time, synergies may also materialize and reinforce firm’s contribution. This chapter analyzes the effects of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and other foreign investors on two different targets of SDG 7, namely access of population to modern energy systems, chiefly electricity, and the use of carbon-free and renewable energy sources in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, and the authors investigate whether foreign investors experience trade-offs and synergies in their contributions. A two-equation growth model of households’ access to electricity and carbon factor is estimated by employing a panel dataset that covers 15 SSA countries and foreign direct investment (FDI) from 82 origin countries over the 2005–2011 period. The findings reveal that foreign investors are subject to a trade-off in their effects, because when they foster access to electricity they are also likely to spur carbon factor increases, and vice versa, depending on the economic development of host and home countries. Nevertheless, electrification and carbon factor reduction are shown to be linked by a system-level synergy. The results have implications for the design of MNEs attraction measures and energy policy in recipient countries.
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Riccardo Mereu, Emanuela Colombo and Fabio Inzoli
This paper aims to present the results of a numerical investigation of the fluid dynamics and heat transfer behavior of forced incompressible flow inside a rectangular wavy…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present the results of a numerical investigation of the fluid dynamics and heat transfer behavior of forced incompressible flow inside a rectangular wavy channel. Reynolds numbers, based on hydraulic inlet diameter and bulk velocity, ranging from 500 to 10000 are investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
The numerical analysis is performed by means of a finite volume commercial CFD code. A Reynolds Averaged Navier‐Stokes (RANS) approach is applied to a three‐dimensional fluid domain over a single module with periodic conditions. Further analysis over six modules is also performed to validate the periodic numerical domain.
Findings
Mean velocity and temperature fields are obtained. The global values of Nusselt number are compared with data obtained by an experimental facility with the same geometry and operating with Re from 1000 to 10000.
Research limitations/implications
Some limitations related to the numerical approach used are observed in laminar‐turbulent transitional regime at Reynolds number between 1000 and 2000 and in the transient prediction. More expensive numerical method might be used (LES approach) to improve transitional prediction.
Practical implications
The numerical model can be used to understand flow and thermal fields on the present configuration. A major knowledge of fluid dynamics and heat transfer processes may support the design and optimization of heat exchangers.
Originality/value
The validation of numerical model permits supporting experimental campaigns. A faster and cheaper optimization process for improving the performance of the component is thus made available for designers, product engineers and R&D researchers.
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Rob van Tulder, Isabel Álvarez and Elisa Giuliani
A cascade of crises that materialized in particular over the 2019–2022 period, increases the relevance for international business (IB) scholarship to address the following…
Abstract
A cascade of crises that materialized in particular over the 2019–2022 period, increases the relevance for international business (IB) scholarship to address the following question: whether, to what extent and under what circumstances can multinational enterprises (MNEs) rescue the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and make sure that nobody is left behind in a globalized world where the opposite seems to be the case? For many MNEs, slow progress in implementing the SDGs in a more strategic and transformational manner does not necessarily hint at a lack of interest with management, but also at a lack of solid knowledge and/or experience in how to implement general development ambitions like the SDGs. This introductory chapter defines the intellectual and managerial challenges ahead. It refers to relevant efforts already done in the IB community – with reference to IB journals that issued special editions on the topic – and explains why five angles have been chosen to cluster the contributions in this volume which are also aimed to enhance further progress in the study of MNEs and the SDGs: (1) general, (2) strategic, (3) operational, (4) contextual and (5) misbehavior.
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Flavio Urbini, Emanuela Caracuzzo, Arnold B. Bakker and Antonino Callea
This study aims to investigate the relationship between employees’ proactive personality and task performance, with playful work design (PWD) and work-related flow as sequential…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the relationship between employees’ proactive personality and task performance, with playful work design (PWD) and work-related flow as sequential mediators. Integrating proactive personality theory and the self-determination theory of flow, the authors propose that employees with a proactive personality are more likely to playfully redesign their work tasks and to experience flow, resulting in improved performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants were 466 Italian employees who filled out an online survey. The sample was well balanced regarding age and gender. Measurement models were tested, and sequential mediation analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The proposed measurement model, including four latent factors, fits better to the data than alternative models. Proactive personality showed positive relationships with PWD, flow at work and task performance. As predicted, proactive personality was indirectly related to task performance through PWD and work-related flow, supporting sequential mediation.
Originality/value
This study expands previous knowledge regarding how proactive personality may be related to task performance through proactive behavior. The authors integrate proactive personality theory and the self-determination model of flow to show that proactive individuals may playfully redesign their work tasks and experience flow, and that this results in improved performance. The authors discuss several implications for organizational practice.
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Elisabetta Bini, Ferdinando Fasce and Toni Muzi Falconi
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the emergence and development of public relations in Italy between 1945 and 1960. Its aim is to examine the main actors (corporate and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the emergence and development of public relations in Italy between 1945 and 1960. Its aim is to examine the main actors (corporate and political) involved in the process, how they were influenced by the USA and the emergence of professional associations devoted to expanding the field
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on research conducted in US and Italian archives and libraries. It analyzes primary sources concerning corporations, government agencies and professional associations involved in promoting public relations in post‐war Italy, such as the United States Information Service, Standard Oil (NJ), Fiat, Piaggio, Olivetti, Pirelli, Intersind.
Findings
This paper argues that the introduction of public relations in postwar Italy was strongly influenced by US companies and government agencies, which had a considerable impact on the emergence of professional associations. It also looks at the specific Italian definitions of public relations and points out that in Italy the field of public relations emphasized the importance of “style” and culture over that of marketing, and was often carried out by an array of “humanists” (poets, graphic designers, and writers).
Originality/value
This paper is one of the first studies about the history of public relations in Italy. It points out the peculiarity of the Italian case, by showing the intersection between the terms “propaganda” and “public relations” in a country that had experienced 20 years of Fascist rule.
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Ondřej Dvouletý and Ivana Blažková
The purpose of this paper is to examine the firm-level drivers of competitiveness of the Czech small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using the complex firm-level…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the firm-level drivers of competitiveness of the Czech small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using the complex firm-level competitiveness index. The authors explored the relationship between firm competitiveness and firm characteristics such as size, age, industry affiliation and location.
Design/methodology/approach
The complex competitiveness index as a proxy for firm competitiveness was calculated from the survey data. In total, 132 complete questionnaires filled in by representatives of randomly selected Czech SMEs were collected in 2018. Additional firm characteristics (size, age, industry affiliation and location) considered as determinants of competitiveness were obtained from the commercial database Albertina and from the Czech Statistical Office. The determinants of competitiveness were tested econometrically by estimation of multivariate regression models.
Findings
The authors mainly found a significant relationship between the firm size and competitiveness of the Czech SMEs. The authors have also confirmed that the least competitive enterprises are those operating in the agricultural sector and that regional location plays an important role in the determination of firm competitiveness.
Practical implications
The identification of competitiveness drivers can provide entrepreneurs, managers and policymakers with important implications. It seems beneficial for the Czech SMEs to expand the scope of operations to achieve a larger company size, for example, by focussing on investment activities, direct marketing, improving entrepreneurial skills or by applying an aggressive sales strategy, especially towards markets with lower competition. Politicians may respond to these efforts by setting the appropriate policies that promote SMEs’ competitiveness, for example, through the hard and soft public support for financial and human resources.
Originality/value
Although many studies on competitiveness have been published, there is still a limited number of firm-level studies looking at competitiveness from multiple angles rather than from the study of profitability and productivity. In contrast, the study uses a complex firm-level competitiveness index based on ten competitiveness pillars (technology, human capital, products, domestic market, networks, international markets, online presence, marketing, decision making and strategy) to capture the contribution of different resources and capabilities to firm competitiveness.