Creativity and Innovation as Strategic Resources in International Business Markets

This study focuses on Medium-Sized Multinationals （MSMs） that belong to the sectors of mechanics and electronics, and that operate in dynamic international business markets. This work aims to investigate how international marketing strategies are based and maybe in some cases actually heavily dependent on the capacity to form and enhance skills in design, engineering, and production activities, and on the propensity to invest more resources in research and development （R＆D） activities as well as in activities that are more strictly speaking production based （manufacturing）. Undoubtedly, in a global and dynamic business, creative knowledge is one of the key resources that firms must possess in order to take up international strategies successfully. Creativity and innovation are strategic resources for all firms, including those of a medium size and even more for those that belong to the so-called ＂traditional sectors＂. This study also has the objective of examining the influence of the structure and composition of a technological MSMs international alliance portfolio in order to understand which forms of international collaboration are more opportunities for firms that aspire to increasing their know-how and taking up new and more sophisticated forms of exploratory innovation. The present work highlights the results of an empirical research that were carried out during the years 2000-2009. The research involved more than 80 firms of the mechanical and electronics department in the Marche region in Italy.     

Analysis of three-way non-symmetrical association of food concepts in cross-cultural marketing

Quality & Quantity - This paper analyses the non-symmetrical association among some key-words in a food context, given the European countries and gender of participants to a survey. The aim is...     

Keeping up by robbing the Joneses

In this article, we find evidence of a ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ effect in the relationship between inequality and crime in Italy. We use data on minor and major crimes in the 20 Italian regions in the years 2004–2015 and show that for higher (lower) income levels, inequality leads individuals to commit major (minor) crimes to try to keep up with richer people.     

Cumulative and CUB Models for Rating Data: A Comparative Analysis

Ordinal measurements as ratings, preference and evaluation data are very common in applied disciplines, and their analysis requires a proper modelling approach for interpretation, classification and prediction of response patterns. This work proposes a comparative discussion between two statistical frameworks that serve these goals: the established class of cumulative models and a class of mixtures of discrete random variables, denoted as CUB models, whose peculiar feature is the specification of an uncertainty component to deal with indecision and heterogeneity. After surveying their definition and main features, we compare the performances of the selected paradigms by means of simulation experiments and selected case studies. The paper is tailored to enrich the understanding of the two approaches by running an extensive and comparative analysis of results, relative advantages and limitations, also at graphical level. In conclusion, a summarising review of the key issues of the alternative strategies and some final remarks are given, aimed to support a unifying setting.     

Evaluating the impact of nonreciprocal trade preferences using gravity models

This article presents new evidence on the impact of Nonreciprocal Preferential Trade Policies (NRPTPs) granted by developed countries to exports from developing countries over the period 1995 to 2003. The analysis has been carried out by using three levels of data aggregation. It accounts for unobservable heterogeneity, endogeneity of the preferential treatment and potential selection bias. We find a positive and significant impact of NRPTPs when considering total exports and total agricultural exports. However, at 2-digit agricultural level the results are heterogeneous.     

The Purpose of Trade Union Values: An Analysis of the ACTU1 Statement of Values

This paper uses the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) statement of union values as its point of departure to explore the purpose and role of trade union values. Specifically, the paper questions whether the role of values is purely symbolic, serving as a guide to unions, or whether values have a broader role. Furthermore, the paper questions the scope of the ACTU statement, which is currently based on the public work of unions. In conducting this analysis, union values are compared to the broader human values; moreover, the scope of the document is assessed against the historic activity and behaviour of unions as represented in extant union theory. Subsequently, the paper uses the emerging role of union values to critique the ACTU statement, concluding that while this statement makes a valuable contribution to union practice and debate, it can be extended to encompass other, more private areas of union activity.