Knowledge hiding is widely considered a counter-productive workplace behavior that can hinder the employees' creativity and have a negative impact on performance. Although companies are prone to encourage knowledge sharing practices, employees are inclined to hide their knowledgetacit and explicit. Often this happens in research and development (R&D) process where team members may distrust each other or intentionally are not hostile in sharing knowledge. The phenomenon of knowledge hiding has increased the interest in researchers who have explored it in different views, there has been little research into the antecedents of knowledge hiding and the social factors that trigger the relate behavior. In this vein, the current study seeks to analyze antecedents and social factors through the lens of the theory of planned behavior as the guiding theory in an in-depth qualitative research. Specifically, knowledge hiders' attitudes, subjective norms and their perceived behavioral control over the knowledge hiding along with the cultural dimensions of 15 international R&D teams are investigated. Although exploratory, the study reveals the fact that cultivating an environment of collaboration and knowledge sharing is beneficial as it removes the organizational foundation of knowledge hiding, which is more likely to result in increased innovation within the whole organization. A comprehensive theoretical framework of knowledge hiding is proposed, and its implications on theory and practice are discussed with the aim of nudging further explorations on the topic.

PurposeThis systematic literature review analyzes and identifies research areas where researchers have already studied the role of intellectual capital (IC) in the healthcare sector. This review also analyzes how they carried out their work to understand future research directions.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is conducted through a systematic literature review. Therefore, following systematic literature review protocol, it was possible to select 225 papers. An analysis of the content was done to identify the main topics debated and understand what components of IC are the most studied by scholars.FindingsThe authors highlight how the components of IC (human capital, structural capital and relational capital) in the healthcare sector have not been discussed with the same frequency and intensity by researchers. The research shows that there are already widely discussed areas, such as structural capital, while other components of IC have remained on the shadow, such as relational capital. Human capital is the most undiscussed component.Research limitations/implicationsThe manual analysis of the articles can be considered a limitation of this work.Originality/valueThis systematic literature review makes several useful contributions. First, it enables others to replicate scientific research, thanks to its clear and transparent process. Second, it identifies the main areas of research and the main research methods. It enables researchers to identify which issues their work should address and suggests possible areas for future research.

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to analyze how “mini-bonds,” an innovative financial tool for Italian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can contribute to the development and sustainability of the agri-food sector and its local products, such as Pecorino Cheese.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted as a qualitative case study applying the CAOS (“characteristics, ambience, organization, start-up”) model. This model makes it possible to describe all variables that affect a company in a given economic context.FindingsIn Sardinia, a small island to the southwest of Italy, there are more than 60,000 agricultural enterprises, 60 percent of which are shepherding operations. Obtaining financial resources is a constant challenge, often related to the uncertainties inherent in seasonal activities. This paper explores how a mini-bond was implemented to promote the development and sustainability of Pecorino Cheese.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations are chiefly related to the short observation period—the bond was first issued in 2018—and to the narrow geographical base of observation.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the expanding body of literature on innovative financial tools for the promotion and development of the local agri-food heritage. It may be useful to practitioners currently researching and developing growth strategies for companies. Existing barriers to credit access are among the most important causes of the lack of development of SMEs, especially in Italy where SMEs represent the principal type of new businesses in the agri-food sector, and their economic success is so dependent on seasonality. In February 2019, the Pecorino case played a role in the Italian government stepping in to avoid the collapse of the price of milk. Future research will focus on the analysis of specific economic results of the financial operations described herein, and will further focus on possibly similar cases of local products making use of innovative financial tools.

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.

PurposeRecent socioeconomic events, not least the Covid-19 pandemic, have led farms to rethink their traditional production methods. Innovation, new technologies and the establishment of relationships could be crucial for farms to remain competitive and sustainable over time. These factors can be assumed as structural and relational capital, two of intellectual capital's components. In this stream, the aim of this paper is to analyze how structural and relational capital could contribute to farm's sustainability in terms of competitiveness during its normal life cycle and in terms of resilience during an uncertain period, such as the coronavirus emergency.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is supported by the qualitative methodology of a single case study. To reach the declared goal, the paper applies the C.A.O.S. (Characteristics, Ambience, Organizations, Start-up) model, an interpretative model for analyzing the small and medium enterprise dimension. In this way, the main aspects that allowed the farm to be competitive and to react at the emergency period were described.FindingsThe findings show that innovation technology involved the farm's internal processes, improving execution, control and feedback phases. Thanks to the two main introduced innovations, the farm reduced staffing costs and minimized cultivation risk related to climatic factors. These innovations are the main factors allowing the farm to increase its efficiency. Moreover, the proactive and reactive roles of the structural and relational capital to face the emergency period are confirmed.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the literature in several ways. Regarding innovation literature, the paper shows how technology helps farms to improve their performance and their global competitiveness. Insight into structural and relational capital enhances the knowledge of intangible assets, such as intellectual capital. In the light of the Covid-19 emergency, the work demonstrates how the main resilience factors (proactive, i.e. structural capital, and reactive, i.e. relational capital) ensure the farm's survival.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between gender and profitability in the Italian hospitality industry during the period 2008–2017. The study examines whether female executive managers have any significant effect on the performance of hotel firms. Gender differences result in female underperformance when performance is measured by firm size. Within a bivariate model, findings show few differences when growth and profitability are compared by gender. When a regression model is designed to control other performance determinants (demographic, financial, and family variables), women‐managed hotels outperform those managed by men for hotel growth.

PurposeWith the increasing pressures towards global sustainability and the transition to Industry 4.0 (I4.0), the collaboration between firms and other key stakeholders is essential. Value is no longer created by firms acting autonomously, but rather by firms acting together with external parties. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the potential contribution of capability providers to a Sustainable I4.0 Environment as an additional perspective regarding the management decisions of a smart and sustainable business model (SSBM) transformation of big corporations.Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth qualitative case study of Futuryng INC., which is a company based in Silicon Valley, New York and Italy, is presented and analysed through interviews, secondary sources and using a triangulation approach. The company is a Connected Technologies Ecosystem, which acts as a provider of technology building blocks (capability) able to design and release end-to-end Information Technologies–Internet of Things–Operational Technologies (IT-IoT-OT) Solutions.FindingsFrom the case study, the authors determine that the success of big corporations' SSBM transformation requires a Sustainable I4.0 Environment approach where capability providers play a relevant role and act as enablers. Then, the authors develop a framework by adopting an actor perspective, called the Sustainable I4.0 Environment, highlighting the contribution of the capability provider in the sustainable I4.0 business model transformation of a big corporation.Practical implicationsThe authors’ analysis clarifies that the successful execution of a sustainable I4.0 business model transformation requires integrated thinking for management decisions and a co-creation approach with capability providers, along with an open innovation process.Originality/valueIn the analysis of I4.0 and sustainability issues, previous studies only focus on implementing firms and view the environment merely as a background in which act forces of sustainability and I4.0. A comprehensive overview of the Sustainable I4.0 Environment, which considers actors and their contribution, is lacking. By integrating the literature review with the case study, the authors’ research proposes a comprehensive framework to guide the decision process of transformation from a traditional business model (TBM) to an SSBM and considers one of the key actors involved, the capability providers.

PurposeThis study aims to validate a direct method to measure relational capital through the estimation of corporate brands. Considering the influence of relational capital management in leading performance and brand development, we consider brand value as a proxy for relational capital. The main research goal is to extend the previous literature on intellectual capital, financial performance and brand management by elaborating and testing an original approach for valuating corporate brands using regression analysis on multiples based on firm-specific accounting data and market information.Design/methodology/approachThe authors propose two econometric models, for both listed and non-listed companies, which consider brand valuations made by primary consulting entities (Interbrand, Brand Finance, BrandZ, European Brand Institute) and multiples derived from accounting and market data of firms. Models were tested on a sample of nonfinancial firms for the period from 2006 to 2019, distinguishing between IAS/IFRS-based and US GAAP-based reporting standards.FindingsThe empirical results show that the identified set of market and accounting multiples proved to be significant information for estimating the value of brands within the IAS/IFRS framework, while a lower explanatory power was assessed for US GAAP firms. Furthermore, the empirical evidence confirm that the direct, relative approach based on multiples is more accurate for valuating listed firms than non-listed firms. Robustness analysis demonstrates that findings do not change significantly when the reference datasets and the main assumptions of the models are altered.Research limitations/implicationsThe statistical significance of the analysis is limited by the non-objective nature of brand value estimates. The use of additional sources for brand valuations might allow for the further assessment of the robustness of the relationships identified.Practical implicationsDue to their efficacy and ease of use, the proposed models represent valid practical tools for managers, investors, analysts and professional evaluators.Originality/valueThis work contributes to the existing literature through the identification of significant, stable relationships between brand values and the main economic, financial and asset characteristics of firms; the identification of those relationships would allow for the extension of the multiples approach also to the evaluation of brands.