ELECTORAL RULES AND PUBLIC SPENDING COMPOSITION: THE CASE OF ITALIAN REGIONS

This study investigates the effects produced by the electoral system on expenditure composition by exploring the case of Italian regions over the period 1986–2009. Empirical analysis shows that the regional current transfers expenditure distributed to families and firms significantly decreases when the regional electoral system moves from being proportional to mixed. Particularly striking is the reduction in preelectoral years under the regional mixed regime. (JEL D72, H30, H72)     

Animation attracts: The attraction effect in an on‐line shopping environment

Two studies examine the attraction effect—an inconsistent choice behavior typically observed when consumers are presented with two products (target and competitor), both good for different reasons, and a worse “decoy”—in the context of online consumer decisions with different product displays (animated or static). The experiments, with different participant populations, show that the attraction effect in an online shopping environment depends on the animation format of the products. Experiment 1 (with Italian participants) suggests that the attraction effect is eliminated when target and competitor are both animated and is accentuated when the target is animated and the competitor is static, regardless of whether the decoy is animated or static. Experiment 2 replicates this animation/attraction effect in the United States, where on line shopping is more common than in Italy. The paper concludes with theoretical and practical implications for on line shopping. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The externalisation of R&D activities and the growing market of product development services

Several authors in recent years have discussed the observed trend towards the externalisation of (part of) a firm's R&D activities. As a consequence, several companies have been created that provide innovators with technical and scientific services such as R&D contracts, laboratory testing services, technology consulting, industrial design, engineering.
The paper is based upon an empirical study which consists of (i) an extensive analysis, in which information has been collected (for about two hundred companies) on size, location and type of services offered; (ii) an intensive analysis, in which one case is studied in depth of a company providing product development services. Some conclusions have been drawn regarding the characteristics of the market of product development services and the management and organisation of companies operating in that market.     

Measuring performance in new product development projects: A case study in the aerospace industry

Implementing a performance measurement system (PMS) for research and development (R&D) is fundamental for supporting decision making and motivating researchers and engineers; however, this is a very challenging task, because effort levels are not measurable and success highly uncertain. Even if the subject has largely been debated in academic and practitioners literature so far, an acknowledged managerial approach is not available yet. This paper investigates the implementation and use of a PMS in new product development (NPD) projects, which represents a relatively unexplored issue in the R&D performance measurement debate. In particular, studying the case of a military aircraft development project, it provides a reference framework that integrates the major literature contributions' findings and suggests a practical approach for the design and implementation of an effective PMS for NPD.     

'We are nurses, we are supposed to care for people': professional values among nurses in NHS Direct call centres

This paper explores the interpretive negotiation of professional values by nurses working in a large public-sector organisation in the UK, namely the NHS Direct (NHSD). Reported are findings from a number of case studies of NHSD, undertaken in response to calls for more research into so-called professional call centre settings.     

Organizing for technological collaborations: a managerial perspective

Researchers and practitioners have recently paid great attention to technological partnering. In this paper, the problem of choosing which organizational form the technological collaboration should take is carefully examined. The aim is to support the decision-maker who, once it has been decided that a certain technology is to be acquired externally, has to identify the most appropriate mode for such an acquisition. This is not an easy task and is critical to the success of the collaboration. A framework is suggested to assist the decision-maker, based upon the preliminary results of a qualitative empirical study. It is then applied to two case studies. The framework is articulated into three logical steps. First, the characteristics of different organizational forms of collaboration are analysed in terms of integration and formalization. Second, the company's requirements from a specific collaboration are defined in similar terms within the context of objective, content, partner typology. Third, the characteristics of the organizational form are matched with the company's specific requirements so as to identify the most appropriate organizational form for the collaboration.     

Towards a framework for dynamic technology strategy

This paper attempts to set up a framework for formulating a dynamic technology strategy. Competitive enviroments are increasingly dynamic, and this makes traditional methodologies and approaches to the strategy obsolete or inadequate. Empirical research has been conducted on the technology strategy process of three large companies operating in highly dynamic and technology-intensive environments. On the basis of the results of this, the authors attempte to put forward a framework which should help firms to conceive their technology strategy.     

Made in Europe: Small Companies

This is the third report on the 'Made in Europe' research programme. Earlier reports concentrated on the maturity of implementation of 'best practice' in both the design and manufacturing processes of larger European companies. Here, the authors shift the focus to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) particularly in Britain and Italy. While few SMEs are in the world-class category, small company practices are customer-oriented, responsiveness-focused and concerned with new products. SMEs' competitive edge typically comes from speed, responsiveness and closeness to customers. SMEs exhibit a greater level of confidence than larger companies in their ability to make change, but neglect training and education. Within the SME sector there are sharp differences between micro (5–20 employees), small (21–50) and medium-sized (51–200) companies while those which are subsidiaries of larger companies have significantly higher levels of best practice. There are differences between countries and regions.