Domenico Berdicchia, Francesco Nicolli and Giovanni Masino
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between job enlargement and some specific job crafting behaviors and to analyze the moderating role of self-competence.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between job enlargement and some specific job crafting behaviors and to analyze the moderating role of self-competence.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered from 158 workers in a large retail company and analyzed through a regression methodology.
Findings
Job enlargement is positively related to specific job crafting behaviors, such as increasing structural and social resources. Self-competence does not moderate the relationship between job enlargement and increasing structural resources; however, it does negatively moderate the relationship between job enlargement and increasing social resources.
Research limitations/implications
This is a cross-sectional, single source study.
Practical/implications
Organizations may implement job design policies aimed at facilitating the way workers proactively craft their jobs (increasing social and structural resources) by promoting a collaborative organizational culture and decreasing the social costs of job crafting initiatives.
Originality/value
This study clarifies the role of contextual and personal antecedents to job crafting. More specifically, it shows that enlarged jobs and employees’ level of self-competence may significantly influence employees’ job crafting in the workplace.
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Francesco Tajani and Pierluigi Morano
The purpose of this paper is to develop a method to support the definition of efficient and fair divisional projects in particularly complex cases concerning inheritance disputes.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a method to support the definition of efficient and fair divisional projects in particularly complex cases concerning inheritance disputes.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the approach involves an appraisal of the market value of the assets, along with an analysis of the respective conditions of concrete divisibility; then, two mathematical models have been developed for the assignment of the assets to the subjects involved in the divisional projects. The logic underlying of both models has been translated into mathematical algorithms that allow for the minimization of the monetary compensations resulting from the differences between the legal right shares and the actual portions to be attributed to them.
Findings
Both models have been developed through mathematical formulas that can be easily implemented by using an appropriate calculation software. They can be used in particularly complex inheritance divisions, in which the deceased’s assets are numerous and there are several heirs with similar or different legal right shares.
Originality/value
The methodology is useful in the disputes that could arise in hereditary successions. The fundamental value is that the models could support the definition of the best solution in particularly complex situations, characterized by a large number of assets to be assigned and/or the existence of “preferential” constraints for the assignment of the assets.
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Marika Macchi, Ugo Rizzo and Laura Ramaciotti
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strategies business incubators (BI) adopt in respect to the creation of incubatee intellectual capital, and it focuses in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strategies business incubators (BI) adopt in respect to the creation of incubatee intellectual capital, and it focuses in particular on links between BI structural capital and the creation of incubatee relational capital (RC). By crossing IC literature with the open innovation paradigm the authors consider the incubator as an innovation intermediary and the authors investigate how different incubator strategies of knowledge exchange take place within and across incubator boundaries. The main issues the authors seek to explore regard the mechanisms by which incubators shape the exchange of knowledge within and across their boundaries and the rationale underlying such an approach.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis is based on a multiple case study research involving five Italian incubators. Primary and secondary data were gathered through interviews with each incubator managing director and with relevant actors.
Findings
The analysis allows us to propose a theoretical framework and to highlight how different structural capital shape heterogeneous processes by which incubatees build their RC. The authors find that important differences in RC formation are present both at an exchange of knowledge level within the incubator, and across incubator boundaries.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitations of this study regard the generalizability of results. This is mostly an exploratory work and further research based on quantitative rather than qualitative analysis, would provide stronger evidence in order to validate the results with respect to the population of incubators and consequently lead to more precise policy implications.
Originality/value
The analysis points to the importance of recognizing different BI approaches regarding the mechanisms by which incubatees develop their RC, and allows us to gain a knowledge-based conceptualization of incubators. This definition moves beyond the more diffuse classification based on public vs private and sectoral specificities, and introduces some new insights for further research.
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Technical progress is an important technique within improving China’s comparative advantages, as new and renewable technologies will be beneficial for energy security. Productive…
Abstract
Purpose
Technical progress is an important technique within improving China’s comparative advantages, as new and renewable technologies will be beneficial for energy security. Productive technical progress and green technical innovation are necessary to improve working conditions and productivity of industries. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to study technical progress in China under such harsh competitive circumstances, as well as types of technical progress that can be promoted, productive technical progress or green technology progress, and how technical progress will affect China’s competitive advantages.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors perform a multi-index multi-factor constitutive model based on a sample of 468 Chinese industries, and divide the industries into four categories.
Findings
The results indicate that there is a “U”-shape relationship between green technology progress and comparative advantages and an inverted “U”-shape relationship between the intensity of market competition and comparative advantages.
Research limitations/implications
China has crossed the inflection point of the “U”-shaped curve. This, coupled with the slowing of economic growth, demonstrates the need for advocating green technology in China to decrease the pollutant discharge. Establishing Chinese national brands within overseas markets and earning a profit through the downstream of production chain enhance China’s international competitiveness.
Originality/value
One of the most original findings of this paper points out that China is faced with a situation in which exports are severely decreased and domestic environment pollution is increased. Vigorous promotion of green technology progress, improvement of the quality and the technical content of exported products, the establishment of national brand within the overseas market, as well as enhancement of China’s international competitiveness, is needed.