Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present a computational laboratory to explore how to support the development of Regional Innovation Systems (RISs) in so-called lagging regions. Over the years, models and tools to define effective innovation policies have been developed. Notwithstanding, there is a strong discrepancy among proposed theoretical frameworks, innovation policies and related regional performance. The research questions we attempt to answer are: i) what are critical masses of resources and competencies necessary to sustain the growth of RISs? ii) how much effective are current innovation policies; iii) what are the most effective policies to reassess their current pattern? Design/methodology/approach – To address the research questions we adopt an approach grounded on complexity science and we consider RISs as Complex Adaptive Systems (CASs) (Squazzoni and Boero, 2002). Agent-Based Modeling is one of the most suited methodological approaches to analyze CASs (Heath et al, 2009) and it has been increasingly recognized as a useful tool to support policy-making in different fields and at different levels (OECD, 2009; Brenner and Werker, 2009). Therefore, according to this, we propose an agent-based computational laboratory to support policy-makers in assessing and defining the most adequate regional innovation policies. Originality/value –The proposed lab introduces the CAS approach in the analysis of RISs by integrating the key concepts of traditional perspectives on territorial innovation systems with new ones. Although the complexity has been recognized as a distinctive feature of territorial innovation systems, it has been poorly used to develop innovation policies to support the competitiveness of regions. Additionally, while the agent-based models proposed in the literature are used mainly with the aim of theory building and are poorly validated against reality, the CARIS lab has been built to be a simulation tool for policy advice (Brenner and Werker, 2009). Practical implications – Once fully developed, the CARIS laboratory should help researchers and practitioners to better investigate what are critical masses of resources and competencies necessary to sustain the growth of RISs, how much effective are current innovation policies and what are the most effective policies to reassess the current pattern. According to the European Commission indications, such topic is very relevant, in particular, for lagging Regions, which, despite conspicuous policy interventions, have been unable to develop significant innovation patterns. As the validation process will be completed, the computational laboratory could be used as a policy advice tool.

Purpose – This study concerns the antecedents of the effectiveness for autonomous inter-organizational (IO) teams guided by leaders adopting a direct leadership behaviour. We analyse the effect of the density of the team social networks and the environmental uncertainty on the team performances. Design/methodology/approach – We propose an approach based on the Ising model developed in statistical physics to simulate the opinion formation process inside the team. Originality/value –Main results show that the density has a beneficial effect on team opinion dispersion, in particular when the environmental uncertainty is high, whereas has respectively a positive or negative influence on the time needed to reach a stable configuration of opinions, when the environmental uncertainty is low or high. Practical implications – In order to improve team effectiveness and speed up the opinion formation process, we suggest to increase the density of the team social networks by means of socialization practices, only in case of low-medium environmental uncertainty. For high uncertainty, we caution that density has a negative effect on the time to reach a solution and in such a case, a moderate level of density should be better.

Purpose – The first aim is to show how governments support the creation and development of Communities of Innovation (CoI) in two different institutional settings, namely Puglia Region and Guangdong Province, highlighting both the differences and similarities in the implementation of such policies. The second objective is to measure the effort of governments in implementing policies for innovation. The overall aim is to shed light on whether, and if so, to what extent the “public hand” may be desirable for the development of CoI. Design/methodology/approach – Through a comparative study of Puglia and Guangdong, we first explore the innovation programs implemented by each government in the attempt of identifying those explicitly designed or having as an effect the promotion of CoI. We analyse characteristics, recipients, and objectives of the programs and highlight differences and similarities. The analysis of these programs brings us to the selection of indicators measuring the efforts made by governments for the promotion of innovation policies. We use these indicators for the computation of composite indices measuring the intensity of policies and compare the two areas in terms of public policy efforts for innovation. Originality/value – Considering two regions that greatly differ in terms of economy, and political and social background, we show whether and how local governments are involved in the promotion of innovation and in particular of CoI. Furthermore, we contribute to the debate that focuses on understanding the extent to which the involvement of the governments in the promotion of innovation produces desirable results. Finally, from a practical perspective, this work offers a critical analysis of a number of policy levers for the promotion of investments and initiatives aimed at creating favourable conditions for the flourishing of formal and informal CoI. Practical implications – The outcomes of the work gives strength to the idea that in the last few years innovation has become the main objective of governments, and CoI are one of the privileged mechanisms to achieve this objective. The comparison of Puglia and Guangdong, taken as two diametrically opposed examples in terms of institutional setting, may lead to uncover similar roles and uses of public interventions in the establishment and development of CoI. The demonstration of consistencies between the two areas in the implementation of policies would contribute to the more general industrial policy debate heralding the importance of public policies in favour of innovation, even in places where industrial policies are not clearly institutionalized.

Purpose – Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are contributing to widespread the access to digital knowledge and the development of competencies and skills based on free and open sharing, use and re-use of digitized material available in purposeful on-line systems. Worldwide, the development of MOOCs has gained popularity also in the management and entrepreneurship domain, where a number of providers have started to offer MOOCs addressed to diffuse entrepreneurial competencies and skills. This paper presents an application of MOOCs to support the development of entrepreneurial competencies. A purposeful roadmap has been set up to identify the set of actors and activities involved in the design, implementation and monitoring of an entrepreneurial project. Each activity of the roadmap is defined in terms of inputs, outputs, tasks and enabling competences to be acquired. Based on the roadmap, a customized open platform for MOOC delivery has been thus developed along with a set of experimental courses and some guidelines to better engage learners and instructors. Design/methodology/approach – The article is grounded on behaviourism, constructivism and connectivism learning theories, and their relationship with ICT, in the aim to frame MOOC as an emergent pedagogical approach capable to experiment networked learning. A preliminary analysis of literature on MOOC methodology and approach, as well as on the study of international cases of MOOC adoption in entrepreneurship education has been made. Then, based on a design science approach, a MOOC platform dedicated to stimulate entrepreneurial culture and competencies has been realized, and preliminary feedbacks have been collected from instructors and learners. The six phases of design science approach have been set up, problem identification, definition of research goal, artefact development, demonstration, evaluation and research communication. Originality/value – The value of the article can be identified in three main elements: i) the personalized approach to access MOOCs based on a structured roadmap of the entrepreneurial process; ii) the role that companies can play in the MOOC platform (e.g. course design, content production, course delivery, feedback analysis); iii) the possibility to experiment a blended approach in the use of MOOCs as a tool for competence development in the entrepreneurship domain. Practical implications – The article provides useful insights for the design of effective MOOC-based learning experiences in the technology entrepreneurship domain. In particular, a set of guidelines concerning the role of each actor of the learning process (including companies) and the implementation of effective blended (physical and on-line) experience are provided. Finally, the study presents a practical discussion about how to capitalize the value generated by MOOCs.

Purpose – “Are our region’s achievements in technology-driven entrepreneurship (TdE) productive of growth?”; “How are regional achievements in TdE emerging, and what forces propel or hinder TdE in our regional contest?”. Answering to these questions within a Learning Region requires an assessment effort based on openness, which includes several sources of information and viewpoints, and cooperation of stakeholders and experts. At this purpose, this paper aims to present a prototype of a “Knowledge Hub” focused on the evaluation of innovative early-stage startups. We focus on the architecture of the Knowledge Hub, its founding principles, the evaluation criteria, as well as the main results achieved after its preliminary application in evaluating 36 innovative startups who won a contest in the Apulia region (Italy) from 2008 onward. Design/methodology/approach – The Hub leverages on crowdsourcing and collective intelligence from experts and professionals sharing information and discussing viewpoints about technology startups, with the aim to evaluate their performance. The crowdsourcing dimension refers to the data sources (typology and ownership) used to perform the evaluation of a given startup, whereas the collective intelligence mechanisms inspire the evaluation method. Originality/value – When talking about technology startups, our national and regional experience today shows that “hypes” dominate over evidence-based information. Refusing transplanted approaches and imitated policies means also promoting reflexivity and evidence-based new knowledge. Practical implications – The adoption of Knowledge Hub’s processes and methodology for monitoring the impact of innovative startups, and the active involvement of actors and stakeholders in the Technology Startup Ecosystem, may support a continuing assessment of TdE to improve the quality of regional strategies and programmes designed for the development and growth of specific territories. Evidence from the preliminary analyses shows peaks of dissimilarity between common sense powered by conventional media and actual outcomes,so suggesting the need for a more realistic approach in policy making for regional development.

Purpose – In the experience of a business incubator a particular aspect is represented by the complexity of adapting its methodologies and strategies to the changing exigencies of the final market and to the growing request for creativity in the content and carriers of the products supplied by the new companies. Creativity is not only fantasy or imagination, but also study of new occasions of use and new ways of dressing, traveling, reading and so on. Design/methodology/approach – The UK’s definition of the creative industries includes thirteen sectors: advertising, architecture, the art and antiques market, crafts, design, designer fashion, film, interactive leisure software (ie. video games), music, the performing arts, publishing, software, and television and radio. Because it was the first definition offered by a government, this original UK definition has been widely adopted by other countries, with sectors adapted based on local commercial and cultural importance. UNCTAD’s 2008 report Creative Economy suggested a more inclusive definition which brought this term into popular use and recognized the wider societal impact: ‘the interface between creativity, culture, economics and technology as expressed in the ability to create and circulate intellectual capital, with the potential to generate income, jobs and export earnings while at the same time promoting social inclusion, cultural diversity and human development. Basing on this definition our work is concerned with putting together creativity, technology and entrepreneurship in a typical incubation activity , enhancing the entrepreneurial potential of the region and promoting real occasions of jobs creation. Originality/value – This methodology puts in evidence that this is a phenomenon of small figures and not an industrial production process : creative industries are strongly based on the human talent but in a right mix with technologies and how –to-do competences. An incubator can cover in particular this last aspect but not to supply missing creativity or the technological illiteracy. Incubators are living a changing period: the original model based on fixed packages of consultancy about marketing, administration and finance, production is totally outdated. Incubation experts are looking for less structured models and much more networked organizational solutions. Practical implications – The outcomes of the application of the described methodological approach are new lines of action for incubators and similar structures and suggest interesting opportunities of exploiting research results or sub-products of the academic research as row material in the new companies creation process.

Purpose – There is an increasing attention on the entrepreneurial dimensions that enable academia to pursue innovation development and commercialization, for example in the form of intellectual asset management, university spin-offs and technology transfer and brokering (Shane 2004a; Wright et al. 2009). The economic revenues generated by these forms of academic entrepreneurship are becoming more and more attractive for higher education institutions in order to develop new revenue value streams and sustain financial viability (Shane 2004b; Wright et al. 2007; Wong 2011). In addition, it is pointed out that academic entrepreneurship plays an important role toward the creation of societal value (Botes 2005). This paper aims to prospect academic entrepreneurship as a way to connect academia with external stakeholders in order to jointly create value (Kingma 2011). The stakeholders’ value network centred on academic entrepreneurship can respond to different wants and needs, not necessarily aligned, and focusing on various forms of value to be created. The holistic integration of such value network is a key issue. This paper draws insights from the investigation of how SENSEable City Lab – an academic lab nested within the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA) – uses design as a translational mechanism to connect and align different stakeholders in the process of value creation in academic entrepreneurship. Design materials such as sketches, data visualization and interactive prototypes are used at various stages to coordinate the stakeholders: through the design process, ideas and concepts undergo semiotic translations and are materialized into visual, audio, tangible formats. Design can even be employed to facilitate participatory design session where all the stakeholders directly contribute to the design process, jointly creating visual representations and prototypes (Simonsen and Robertson 2013). Design/methodology/approach – The study is the result of an investigation – also based on ethnographic methods – conducted over a period of 4 years (2011-2014) at SENSEable City Lab of MIT (USA). This research methodology to investigate a real case study has proven to be an appropriate method to investigate particularly complex phenomena that require a direct involvement of researchers in the field (Czarniawska 2012). Originality/value – This paper analyses the role of design-as-translation and enabling factor in academic entrepreneurship. This is a perspective currently under-investigated in design research. Practical implications – Design can play a relevant role in supporting entrepreneurial activities in academia. These entrepreneurial activities are nowadays particularly important, especially at a time when in most countries public funding for academic institutions is decreasing.

Purpose – Knowledge, innovation and creativity are the fundamental drivers for an entrepreneur to improve business performance. Often the proposed analyses focus on the economic performance of a company that is considered a stand-alone entity and not an organization correlated with the macroeconomic system. The purpose of this paper is to provide to the entrepreneurs, and propose to the scientific community, a newly structured knowledge system that includes the quality of customers and suppliers, to facilitate learning processes about the current state of the enterprise and new strategic approaches. Design/methodology/approach – The knowledge system is elaborated combining a long day by day experience in a specific Italian field (the Independent After Market -IAM) with the theoretical knowledge of both economic and financial issues and multiple criteria methods of decision aid. The economic and financial key performance indicators are generated ad hoc for a specific sector and created with the concept that a company is in the center of a network composed of its suppliers, customers, competitors and the State. A multiple criteria (MC) model easily and consistently includes aspects that are different in terms of source and formal language. An MC method transparently synthesizes all these elements in relation to a specific decision problem. Integrating the potential of MC models and methods with economic and financial issues and context experience facilitates an effective knowledge transfer to the operators of the sector. Originality/value – The added value of this approach is to allow even small and medium enterprises, without an internal know-how for economic analyses, to use tools that clarify their relations with the interested parties of the macroeconomic system and facilitate the quality assessment of their portfolio of customers/suppliers. For the companies already equipped with business intelligence tools, a comparison with this new approach can be a stimulus to confirm or question their own analysis method. Practical implications – This methodology is oriented to the companies involved in the IAM and in particular to the Manufacture, Distributor and Spare Parts Dealer categories (in Italy almost 500 manufacturers, 150 distributors and 5.000 dealers). Manufacturers can use the methodology and its results to know the economic and financial performances of their customers, distributors can identify their strengths and weaknesses and the situation of their competitors and dealers can identify the most reliable future partners. Also foreign manufacturers may be interested in this analysis, before selling in Italy, and banks and financiers could consult our knowledge frameworks to analyse the risk default.

Purpose – Recently, Gamification is a significant trend among practitioners and scholars. Defined as “the use of game design elements in non-game contexts”(Deterding et al.,2011a), gamification is useful to engage/fun users in solving problems and increase their contributions, drawing on the strengths of co-creation, leading to a wider understanding/adoption of applied co-creation practices. Stemming from these premises, we aim at discussing gamification as an application to foster creativity, understand how such a perspective may become a core driver in supporting existing brands and helping them in involving customers throughout the (co)design process of new products/services. Analyzing MulinoBianco digital strategy, our purpose is twofold:how gamification changes behaviors, develops skills and drives innovation in various industries(Hamari et al.,2014b);how gamification would shape the future of knowledge creation(Hamari,2013). Design/methodology/approach – Our article dwells on the theoretical analysis of gamification and its applicability on the engagement of consumers, throughout the design process, broadly definable as ‘any act of collective creativity’(Sanders,Stappers,2008), by using elements of game thinking and mechanics in a non-game contexts, integrating consumers into advertising and brand-building, which would enable even a boost to companies’ outcomes. Practical implications – What emerges from our paper is that gamification applied to a food company digital strategy brings it into direct contact with consumers and their creativity, also creating new opportunities for business. It is quite interesting to stress how gamification, intertwining with interaction design, pulls consumers into the brand and engages them in exhilarating/addictive ways of developing non-game products and services “having more engaged customers, to crowdsourcing innovation or improving employee performance”(Burke,2012).

Purpose – People are important in any business and this is especially so in small entrepreneurial firms in which tight margins can limit staff numbers and growth. These firms are seeking sustainable competitive advantage through enhanced employee performance. However, this is tightly dependant on competence and day-to-day management practices of the entrepreneurs. The purpose of this paper is to explore management practices in entrepreneurial firms and to study how entrepreneurs’ human capital developed over the years helps them improve business performance and growth. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws upon 15 interviews with entrepreneurs and their employees and subsequent data collected in case studies. The interview approach was adopted in order to gain data that would provide a clear picture of day to day practice and enable comparison between the views and attitude of the entrepreneurs and the perception and experience of the employees. Originality/value – Though it is widely believed that intangibles, such as company image, networking and the external environment have an important impact on company sustainability and competitive advantage (Sveiby, 2001; Roos et al., 2005), competence and attitude of entrepreneurs as well as their relationships with employees are a key factor affecting firm performance. Critical to these factors is the human capital of the entrepreneur him/herself which also impacts on the management on intangibles. Individuals accumulate human capital over their lifetime. Its comprising elements include not only formal knowledge, skills, competence and abilities, but tacit knowledge and experience gained over the years. Research findings confirm that entrepreneurs through their attitude, way of doing things and day-to-day practice, and thus their human capital, impact on firm performance and growth. Practical implications – The outcomes from this study can inform further research and contribute to improve guidelines on good entrepreneurial practices on strategy management.

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to present some research results concerning adaptation the human capital into the knowledge-based economy in Poland. The knowledge domination as a fundamental resource creating the social and economic reality determines the internal changes of organization basic resources in relation to the changes of the key areas of its environment. Design/methodology/approach – We propose an approach which allow to make the assessment of the knowledge economy influences on the behaviors of organization in the area of shaping the human capital. The methodology involve the three following research’s levels: – The first research level concerns the identification and the assessment of independent variables in human capital area in the context of knowledge-based economy development. The independent variables were described as the key macroeconomic factors that identify the dynamics of the economy’s development in the scope of the human capital. – The second research level concerns defining the enterprise features in the area of human capital – dependent variables which have been recognized as the most representative from the human capital behaviour sensitive view point on the knowledge economy influence. The dependent variables were determined as a results of the questionaries’ findings. – At the third level there were defined the direct analysis areas that enable the evaluation of the degree of adaptation of the enterprises’ human capital to the knowledge-based economy dynamics. Originality/value – This methodology puts in evidence describing both the degree and state of human capital adaptation to the knowledge based-economy by the following issues distinguishing: Independent variables favouring, block or neutralising the human capital development. Dependent variables which in the particular way make possible, block or neutralizing the opportunities usage created by the knowledge-based economy. The analysis and assessment of the adaptation degree of human capital in the enterprises to the knowledge-based economy requirements on the basis on the research concerning the relation occurring in those areas. Practical implications – The outcomes of the application will cause to increase the enterprises’ awareness concerning the relation between the environment and use of internal resources to the proper creation of capital potential in a context of the knowledge-based economy development.

Purpose – The purpose of this article was to highlight issues associated with firm innovation performance and its antecedents. We argue that both firm-level variables, like organisational climate operationalized through regulative, normative and cognitive pillars, as well as individual-level characteristics, such as innovative work behaviour, employability, job demands and effort-reward fairness will affect innovative firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – This is a theory-driven paper with suggested theoretical model that is subject to theory test in the future research. Originality/value –While contemporary research has focused on organisational-level factors as drivers of firm innovativeness and on personal-level factors boosting innovation work behaviour, our research takes a further step in providing a holistic view on the innovation inside the firm. Furthermore, we suggest that multiple level of analysis, employability of the individual level and organisational climate on the organisational level, will allow to explore innovative work behaviour as well innovation firm performance in more depth. We also assume in important moderating role of job demands and effort-reward fairness on the antecedents of firm innovative performance. Practical implications – Our work has important practical implications. Our model suggest that organisational climate should have both direct and indirect effects on boosting up innovative work behaviour of employees, and as a result, innovative firm behaviour. In today’s economy competition is hard and ability to create new and better services and products is a necessary condition for competitive advantage. Firm’s are striving to get knowledge on how to innovate effectively, and here one should consider what organisation can do to enforce innovation of employees.

Purpose – Cities and regions have begun to re-shape upon the Knowledge Economy (KE) since the late 20th century and the concept of Knowledge City (KC) and Knowledge-Based Urban Development (KBUD) strategies that draw the path to becoming a KC arose accordingly. Several cities have already adopted these strategies to support economic development and to provide required post-industrial development. Institutional development is essential for KBUD to gather all of the main actors and sources, to organise and facilitate necessary knowledge-intensive activities and to plan strategically to become KC. Additionally, governing KBUD with institutional leadership make a difference in achieving KC status. Successful urban governance requires understanding of comprehensive planning process. The management of the implementation process is stated to be more important than the preparation of the plan. The success of the implementation is determined by efficiently designed monitoring and evaluation (M/E) systems. To become KC and build the bridge between planning and urban governance, M/E phases need to be incorporated into the planning process. Turkey has been working increasing competitiveness in knowledge economy and developed strategies for increasing knowledge worker capacity, providing an efficient platform for innovation and strengthening institutional leadership. However, the planning system in Turkey includes different governmental bodies with an undefined hierarchy for preparation, implementation and evaluation of the plans. Governing the necessary actions efficiently and institutional leadership seems to be the problematic areas for Turkish cities to become KCs. Case study, Istanbul is a prospect KC. The goal of this paper is to prove that the lack of M/E systems in the planning process prevents a city from becoming a successful KC. Design/methodology/approach – This paper will clarify the planning system in Turkey and hierarchical structure in Istanbul Metropolitan Area. The relation between planning system and urban development management in Turkey will be defined by investigating the current plans and institutions in charge of making and approving plans. The study will analyse Istanbul Metropolitan Area plans’ M/E stages. The planning process and M/E existence and applications in the plans are determined by face-to-face interviews with several staff members of governmental entities in Istanbul Metropolitan Area. Originality/value – This paper shows that the lack of M/E processes in the planning system prevents a city to develop effective urban governance and institutional development, and therefore, from becoming a successful KC. Practical implications – This paper aimed to determine the exact stages of Istanbul Metropolitan Area’s planning and governance processes that prevent the city from developing as a sustainable KC.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reveal the efforts universities have done during the latest years towards improving their development strategies, as well as to focus on the new challenges that they have to face in the contemporary context based on competition and partnership. Higher education institutions differentiate from many criteria; among these, entrepreneurial culture needs to be more understood. Its role is convergent with the quality culture role within the universities. The paper aims to highlight the role of a university entrepreneurial behaviour in the consolidation of the quality culture and management. Main objectives of the paper are: to explain the features of the universities in the contemporary context from the entrepreneurial behaviour perspective; to connect the entrepreneurial culture with the quality culture for higher education institutions; to identify main university strategic behaviours based on the role of the entrepreneurial culture. Design/methodology/approach – We propose an approach that considers several research methods. Among these, must be mentioned: descriptive analysis based on both literature review and on case studies, in order to focus on examples of good practices; comparative analysis in order to emphasize some behavioural particularities; research based on a questionnaire addressed to one of the most important stakeholders of the university – the students. Therefore, students will be invited to express how they see the university management motivation to innovate, create and take risks, etc. Originality/value – This methodology puts in evidence new challenges university management has to face. The originality of this paper consists of a new theoretical approach of the university management concept, in terms of an entrepreneurial behaviour organization, which means a new definition generated from practice and evidence, plus the features of the interactions between both areas of entrepreneurial culture and quality management culture in an institutional context of a modern higher education institution. Practical implications – The outcomes of the application consist of several practical implications for universities. University management will be able to better understand its role in developing strategies and implementing measures for improving processes and activities. Students will be able to support university change in a more active way, for their own benefit. Companies will be able to reconsider the relationship with universities in terms of mutual advantage.

Purpose –Entrepreneurship teaching can allow students in technical high schools and universities to develop their management capacity to start new endeavours. Beyond being a career option for these graduates, management competences allow own businesses generate wealth in a locality and contribute to economic development and poverty reduction. This understanding of the social importance values the dissemination of knowledge about entrepreneurship in a more socially deprived region of the Santa Catarina state according to data from the Human Development Index. Design/methodology/approach – The methodological procedures of the research were predominantly qualitative. The used worldview was phenomenological, because it is basically the analysis of the report of the experiences of the authors. A positivist worldview with data treated quantitatively was used in connection with the literature data extraction and document. Originality/value – Federal Institute of Santa Catarina, founded in 1909 by the federal government of Brazil aiming to bring professional and technological education for the most economically disadvantaged sections of society. But only in 2010 Lages campus starts its activities, among them is the dissemination of an innovation and entrepreneurship culture among its students. The article is pierced by the strong farm culture present in Santa Catarina mountainous region, which prints to entrepreneurship teaching in these conditions a unique situation. Farm culture is strongly present in the local society. Searching for appropriated solutions to the local reality is essential in order to achieve concrete results and this feature ensures originality to this article. Practical implications – A society of farm culture traits prints a limiting view of innovation and entrepreneurship. The farm is the place where gives economic and political power to the figure of Colonel (latifundia owner). This farmer struggles to maintain order at the expense of any change. These aspects of tradition are opposed to a culture of innovation and impose an unwillingness to take commercial, legal and personal risks, risks inherent in this entrepreneurial activity. These students inserted in this culture perceive to be more “natural” perpetuate the history of their ancestors that depended on a “benefactor” to subsist. The article presents the design, methodologies used and its first results to demonstrate how it is possible to pierce cultural difficulties and print a sense of creativity, courage and entrepreneurship.

Purpose –The purpose of this study was to empirically examine some common aspects of knowledge and project management. Using the contingency theoretical approach and addressing the current lack of empirical evidence on the issue, the study aimed to investigate the potential mediating role of project complexity in the impact of different types of knowledge assets on project success. The research was carried out in the context of information systems (IS) projects. Design/methodology/approach –The field survey was adopted as the most appropriate research method for this study because of its versatility, efficiency and generalisability. Usable data were obtained from 603 IS professionals across a variety of projects and were analysed through descriptive statistics. The collected data included participants’ perceptions of: (1) project success as the ultimate target; (2) project team, customer and process representing human, relational and structural capital factors of the project success; and (3) project complexity as a potential mediating factor. Originality/value –The results of this study make two important contributions to research: (i) they fill the lack of empirical evidence; and (ii) provide valuable insights on how different project characteristics and knowledge assets influence project success. Specifically, external relational capital (project customer) was found to be more important than internal human and structural capital (project team and process) in moderately to highly complex projects. For simple projects, structural capital (project process) was more important than the other two types of knowledge assets (project team and customer). Such findings are consistent with the contingency theory propositions in knowledge management. Practical implications – The findings of the study provide useful guidelines for project managers on how to best organise and utilise their available knowledge assets in alignment with project complexity in order to enhance project success. Nevertheless, these implications need to be interpreted with caution due to the limitations of the survey method and its application in a specific context (IS projects) and among specific subjects (IS professionals). Future research is recommended to address these limitations and extend current research to include both static (knowledge capital) and dynamic (knowledge practice) aspects of knowledge management in project management.

Purpose –It is generally accepted that innovation is a complex process faced with changing internal and external environment. Project-based organizations (PBO) are widely used to execute and realize innovation. PBO as temporary and flexible organizations have advantages to address dynamics and generate new knowledge in innovation projects. Dynamic capabilities in prior literature describe an organization’s ability to respond dynamism in its environment. Knowledge sharing as a central process of knowledge management is considered to enhance dynamic capabilities of organizations. However, there are few studies investigating dynamic capabilities and knowledge sharing in PBO in literature. This study aimed to understand the nature of dynamic capabilities and their components in PBO and explored the relationships among dynamic capabilities, their components and knowledge sharing in innovation projects. Design/methodology/approach – This paper developed a system dynamic model that incorporated a dynamic adjustment mechanism of resource allocation to improve dynamic capabilities of PBO. The model included three component factors of dynamic capabilities: adaptive capability, absorptive capability and innovative capability. The model showed the feedback loop about knowledge sharing, dynamic capabilities and their component factors during the lifecycle of PBO. Originality/value – We conducted simulation of the system dynamic model. The results indicate the system dynamic model could reflect real changing tendency of dynamic capabilities in PBO. Considering the synergetic effects of the three component factors on the level of dynamic capabilities, this paper built an auto-adjustment mechanism to balance the development of the component factors. The resource allocation to the three factors can be adjusted automatically once they show unbalanced development. Our results also showed knowledge sharing has effects on dynamic capabilities during lifecycle of PBO when external environment changed from moderate to high velocity dynamic. Practical implications – The system dynamic model developed in this study can be applied to evaluate dynamic capabilities of PBO. PBO could examine changing tendency of their dynamic capabilities given the conditions of resources allocation and market environment. The model also provides guidance for PBO to adjust the development of component factors of dynamic capability to adapt to the internal and external environment.

Knowledge sharing is considered as a main driver of successful open innovation. By probing into the practice and development of China’s knowledge sharing system, the paper has focused on the practical evidence from the institutional and organizational perspectives. At the institutional level, the paper put in evidence the government regulation to construct a system of specific Chinese knowledge sharing mode between firms, universities, research institution and market. At the organizational perspective, the article analyses the organization forms for the knowledge sharing system at the industry level as well the case of Huawei as a typical High-tech enterprise in China. The main contribution of the article is to illustrate the Chinese experience in the organization for the knowledge sharing system in order to implement the open innovation model.

Purpose – The ISO norms, related to the world of project management, such as: ISO 21500 “Guidance on Project Management”; ISO 10006 “Project and Knowledge Management, a shared approach, to Improve the enterprise innovation” and ISO 31000 “Risk management – Principles and guidelines”, will guide project managers in defining and managing projects. These standards define the guidelines to manage projects efficiently and effectively but not always in an explicit mode, the important principles of General Management. Some of these elements are important in the management of the Historical Information, Lessons Learned and Continuous Improvement. The standards defined by ISO are not limited to suggest the mode of project management in particular contexts as can be risk management or quality but, reading between the lines, give us important lessons for the management of organizations in a project management context. Through a detailed analysis of these norms are to highlight the principles through which organizations and managers can manage more effectively and efficiently departments or companies. Another result is to define the principles through which organizations manage information and put them to our disposal by the organization in order to improve organizational processes. Design/methodology/approach – I propose an approach for improving the profitability of the projects through the management of an integrated system of knowledge management in the enterprise organization. The approach involves the analysis of the most important ISO norms related to the project management context to define the General Management principles to improve the shared knowledge. Originality/value – The main objective is the identification of the main concepts of general management inherent to the most important ISO norms in the context of project management. This methodology highlights the need to manage all the knowledge generated within at Project That Is, from the organizational point of view (historical information, best practices, knowledge of the processes, lessons learned …), in order to Improve organizational processes, reduce the time of project management and reduce the cost of the project. One of the main Objectives to Achieve is the continuous improvement in project management. Practical implications – The outcomes of the application, through a correct application of the main concepts of general management is the diffusion of the project management culture, the definition of the main rules by which the company is able to govern the business processes, the definition of a proper process for the management of knowledge generated by the same organization through project management and through it the ability to reach what is the ultimate result to which an organization may tend: the continuous improvement.

Purpose – The present work aims at studying the emergence of systemic crisis and the evolution of contagion in financial networks in presence of firms. Much of the literature in this field studies the effects on a stylized financial system of an initial exogenous shock, typically consisting in the default of a given bank. Although purely idiosyncratic shocks occur they are rare, moreover this sort of disturbance reflects only partially what happened in the recent crisis, which was indeed caused by a shock generated at real level (i.e. the inability of hundreds of thousands of American families of paying their mortgages). In this paper we provide a general framework to assess systemic risk when the shock is due to firms’ default. Design/methodology/approach – We developed a model with two types of agents, banks and firms, linked one another in a two-layer network by their reciprocal claims. We used numerical simulations to investigate the emergence of systemic crisis and the evolution of contagion in presence of a shock at firms level. The shock that we impose on the system consists in the default of a given number of firms, which are assumed to become unable to pay back their loans. Banks exposed toward defaulted firms mark them as “bad loans” and reduce their value accordingly. In this way the original shock is transmitted to the financial network, which can absorb or amplify it, determining the default of one or more financial institutions. The model is calibrated with empirical data on the banking sector of Italy, Germany and United Kingdom. Originality/value – The work formalizes one aspect of the interplay between financial and real side of the economy, two worlds too often left separate from one another. Moreover, compared to other studies on this subject, it gives a more solid foundation for the initial shock and put emphasis on the relationships between banks and firms. Even though the model presented is a stylized representation of reality and its calibration is necessarily rough due to the lack of public available data, it provides a different and until now little explored insight for the emergence of systemic crisis, constituting a useful starting point for future research. Practical implications –This study shows how firms’ default can generate systemic crisis in a financial network through the web of credit and debit relationships. The results of the simulations confirm the idea that a higher degree of interconnection is not always good for financial stability and that it may actually exacerbates contagion, contrasting with the standard view that diversification is the key element to reduce risk. The model is able to assess the frequency and the extent of a crisis and to track the evolution of contagion. From a regulatory point of view, the outcomes of the model suggest that banks’ size distribution and capital ratio can make some countries more prone to systemic crisis than others.