The efficiency of social public expenditure in European countries: a two-stage analysis

Do European countries differ in the efficiency of their welfare policies? And which factors can account for such variability? To address these questions, we perform a two-stage efficiency analysis. First, based on a composite output indicator for social protection expenditure, we measure efficiency by means of the Free Disposable Hull and Data Envelopment Analysis techniques. Second, we perform an econometric analysis to identify the factors that can be associated to cross-country differences. We find that countries scoring higher efficiency have higher education and GDP levels, a smaller population size, a lower degree of selectivity of their welfare systems and a lower corruption level.     

A Regional Analysis of Hidden Unemployment in Great Britain, 1951–1966

Using data from a panel of 15 countries over the period 1990–1998, the determinants of the use of non cash payment instruments are analysed. The estimation results highlight the importance of distinguishing between the determinants of the value and volume of noncash transactions. It is found in fact that the volume of these transactions is generally affected by changes in the determinants more strongly than their value, and that variables such as the interest rate have a different impact on the volume and the value of the transactions. The findings also suggest that past habits play a dominant role in the intensity of use of noncash payment instruments.     

COMPETITION AND THE STRATEGIC CHOICE OF MANAGERIAL INCENTIVES: THE RELATIVE PERFORMANCE CASE

We investigate how market competition affects the incentive to adopt a non‐profit‐maximizing behaviour. The analysis is developed in a strategic delegation framework in which owners delegate output decisions to managers interested in firm's relative performance. We study how the optimal delegation scheme is affected by market concentration and the elasticity of market demand. We prove that the distortion from a profit‐maximizing rule decreases as market becomes less concentrated, while it increases as demand becomes more elastic. Finally, we discuss the impact of market competitiveness on the welfare‐enhancing ability of delegation contracts.     

Environmental Management of End‐of‐Life Products: Nine Factors of Sustainability in Collaborative Networks

The paradigm of the green economy has contributed to raising the attention paid to developing sustainability‐oriented strategies for supply chain (SC) management. The responsibility of producers to extend and reverse SCs is a critical and timely topic that captures increasing concerns over the way firms can adapt their business models to interlinking technical, socio‐economic and environmental frameworks. This is particularly true when producers are not also reuse/recycle actors. By performing a critical review of the scientific literature on this field, this article develops nine elemental factors that can be considered for assessing the impacts of collaborative strategies as a means to implement extended producer responsibility (EPR) in open‐loop SCs. The resulting conceptual framework provides EPR implementation guidance under different market conditions. Inter‐organizational relationships are found to present both opportunities and threats that can be profitably managed under a systemic perspective. Implications for management and needs for further research are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Self-scanning technologies in retail: Determinants of adoption

Self-scanning represents a form of customer participation in service creation, a form of self-service and a technology-based service delivery device. This study, conducted within the large-scale retail sector, pursues a dual aim: firstly, to assess the link between satisfaction with self-scanning and some of its possible antecedents; secondly we intend to determine whether satisfaction with this service has any impact on consumers' overall opinion of the supermarket and their intention to patronise the store with greater frequency. The data show that both the sense of control and hedonic component have a positive impact on satisfaction with self-scanning and further bring to light that service satisfaction is an antecedent both of customers' opinion of the supermarket and their intention to patronise the store more frequently.     

Balancing the trade-off between learning prospects and spillover risks: MNC subsidiaries’ vertical linkage patterns in developed countries

This paper investigates local vertical linkages of foreign subsidiaries and the dual role of such linkages as conduits for learning as well as potential channels for spillovers to competitors. On the basis of data from 97 subsidiaries, we analyze the quality of such linkages under varying levels of competition and subsidiary capabilities. Our theoretical development and the results from the analysis document a far more complex and dynamic relationship between levels of competition and MNCs’ local participation in knowledge intensive activities, i.e. learning and spillovers, than previous studies do. We find a curvilinear relationship between the extent of competitive pressure and the quality of local linkages confirming our argument of a trade-off between learning prospects and spillover risks. Furthermore, the level of subsidiary capabilities moderates this relationship.     

An Analysis of Chinese Acquisitions of Made in Italy Firms in the Luxury Sector

Outward Foreign Direct Investment （OFDI） from emerging economies has begun to increase significantly and has been growing at a faster pace than Foreign Direct Investment （FDI） from the developed world. This research seeks to assess the impact of Chinese acquisitions and their implications for the ＂Made in Italy＂ luxury sector and its firms. This paper presents a cross-case analysis of two Chinese acquisitions in order to provide some in-depth insights into the influences and the motives driving Chinese firms to invest in the luxury Made in Italy sector, the patterns and modes of the Chinese acquisitions as well as the competitive strategies and the distinctive challenges that both investors and acquired firms have to face. From the findings, it emerges that both the investor and the acquired firm need to overcome several key challenges to be mutual benefits from the acquisition.     

A cultural perspective on innovation in international manufacturing

This paper presents the results of a survey administered across 24 countries that examines innovation in manufacturing firms by adopting Hofstede's national cultural framework. The purpose of this study is to test the validity of the “culture-specific” argument as an explanatory construct for innovation performance in international manufacturing. Data was collected in 2006 as part of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey IV (IMSS) by relying on a questionnaire addressed to firms classified by ISIC codes (rev.3.1) Divisions 28-35. From the findings it emerges that the “culture-specific argument” is a useful explanatory construct for innovation performance.