PurposeThis paper analyzes the effect of circular economy practices on firm performance for a circular supply chain and explores the moderating role that big-data-driven supply chain plays within these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses data collected through an online survey distributed to managers of 378 Italian firms that have adopted circular economy principles. The data are processed using multiple regression analysis.FindingsThe results indicate that the three categories of circular economy practices investigated – namely circular economy supply chain management design, circular economy supply chain relationship management and circular economy HR management – play a crucial role in enhancing firm performance from a circular economy perspective. A big-data-driven supply chain acts as a moderator of the relationship between circular economy HR management and firm performance for a circular economy supply chain.Originality/valueThis study makes a number of original contributions to research on circular economy practices in a big-data-driven supply chain and provides useful insights for practitioners. First, it answers the call to capture digital transformation trends and to extend research on sustainability in supply chain management. Second, it enhances the literature by investigating the relationships between three different kinds of circular economy supply chain practices and firm performance. Finally, it clarifies the moderating role of big data in making decisions and implementing circular supply chain solutions to achieve better environmental, social and economic benefits.

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On the basis that entrepreneurial knowledge spurs innovation and, in turn, generates a competitive advantage, the research seeks to explore the key "imperfections" of innovation process due to the dynamic, current technological progress in the knowledge intensive sector. The "imperfections" identified in risk management, asymmetric information in the knowledge management process, and holdup problems, can all disrupt collaborative partnerships and limit opportunities for innovation. Design/methodology/approach By offering a case study analysis on two small to medium enterprises one operating in the United Kingdom and the other one in Italy, the study explores three key imperfections: risk management, asymmetric information in the knowledge management process, and holdup problems which occur in the innovation process. Finding The entrepreneurs face these imperfections by adopting an open innovation model. Notwithstanding both entrepreneurs had to deal with all "imperfections", their skills attributes, attitude, and aptitude allow them to grow their business and continually develop new products. Therefore, the imperfections do not limit the innovative capacity of an entrepreneur but rather enhance their challengeable attitude. In this regard, the case studies induce a further analysis on entrepreneurial knowledge intertwined with entrepreneurial risk management and networking skills. Research limitations/implications The empirical significance of two cases does not allow theorization. However, the research offers interesting results which can be strengthened by a comparative case study with other countries or deep investigated by a quantitative approach. Originality/value By leveraging entrepreneurial knowledge the imperfections noted in the innovation process can be overcome. Entrepreneurial knowledge is recognised as the main asset of an enterprise if it is combined with external talent or human resources. Entrepreneurs aim to develop innovative approaches and ideas through establishing both formal and informal collaborative partnerships relationships which are employed thanks to the entrepreneurs' networking skills, knowledge, and abilities.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to shed light on how big data deployment transforms organizational practices, thereby generating potential benefits, in a specific industry: retail. Design/methodology/approach To achieve the paper’s goal, the authors have conducted several semi-structured interviews with marketing managers of four retailers in Italy, and researched secondary data to get a broader picture of big data deployment in the organizations. Findings Data analysis helped identify specific aspects related to big data deployment, data gathering methods, required competences and data sharing approaches. Originality/value Despite the growing interest in big data in various fields of research, there are still few empirical studies on big data deployment in organizations in the management field, and even fewer on specific sectors. This research provides evidence of specific areas of analysis concerning big data in the retail industry.

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to enrich the scientific and managerial debate on intangibles by placing the concept of key money within the broader concept of Intellectual Capital, and by proposing an evaluation approach for a portion of the latter, focusing the analysis on fashion retailers.Design/methodology/approachThis research focuses on the fashion industry, given that key money gains particular significance and accounted for in fashion retailers' financial statements. A comparative case study is presented with regard to the application of two evaluation methods proposed to some fashion retailers operating in Italy.FindingsThis paper defines a suitable placement for key money within the vast structure of intellectual capital. The research shows that the two methods give “very close” key money values, thus laying the foundations for a theoretical articulation of interest to be further explored in future researches.Originality/valueThe document represents a first in-depth examination regarding the evaluation and inclusion of key money in the intellectual capital. A further element of originality lies in having interpreted the key money in a perspective closer to the world of intangibles and competitive strategies, to the detriment of the previous (meagre) settings that placed it within the real estate branches of study.

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Organizational innovation capability is a critical competitive strategy to generate and execute ingenious ideas necessary to offer new services, processes, and products to stay relevant and competitive. This becomes important in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who depend significantly on stakeholders for an uninterrupted supply of relevant resources to produce and provide offerings to the markets amidst fierce market competition to stay competitive. We draw upon resource dependence and dynamic capabilities theory to investigate how stakeholder pressure acts upon SMEs to utilize their absorptive capacity of developing innovation capability to improve their overall performance. We collected data from 291 SMEs from the manufacturing sector to test the hypotheses of the study. Results suggest that absorptive capacity mediates the influence of stakeholder pressure on innovation capability. Furthermore, innovation capability too mediates the relationship between absorptive capacity and firm performance. This article contributes to theoretical and practical implications.