In recent years, the focus on the circular economy (CE) and the business models implemented by companies to achieve circularity has grown exponentially. Industry 4.0 technologies (I4.0Ts) represent a valuable tool in the green transition. Companies are increasingly using technologies such as big data analysis, cloud computing, cyber-physical product systems, and the internet of things (IoT) to monitor and analyse their operations in terms of resource utilisation, especially from the perspective of the 7R CE components: reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, rot, repurpose, and rethinking. However, scholars have noted a gap in research on the relationship between I4.0Ts and CE. To fill this gap, this study disseminated a questionnaire survey to all companies listed on the Italian Stock Exchange that have published the DNF report as of 31 December 2021. The findings show a positive influence of I4.0Ts on reducing resource consumption but a lower capacity of I4.0Ts to influence the reuse and recycling of CE components.
The topic of digital transformation (DT) in family businesses, although ever-evolving, shows mixed results. In fact, two opposite strands of research emerged. The first argues that traditions and emotional involvement of family members hinder change; the second strand, in contrast, claims that tradition drives innovativeness. Starting from the analysis of determinants of innovation in family businesses, this study aims to explore the relationship between the issue of family involvement - and particularly of multiple generations - and the DT process, through the analysis of a case study. The results show that the involvement of two generations in management, by a culture based on dialogue and cohesion, promotes DT. Another piece of evidence concerns the role of tradition, recognised by the younger generation as a unique and inimitable resource, which, combined with new technological opportunities, encouraged DT.
This paper assesses the influence of e-commerce service quality on domestic tourists' satisfaction in Tanzania. This was important following closure of international tourism amid COVID-19. A multiple regression analysis to data collected from 150 local tourists in Dar es Salaam assessed influence of variables (reliability of e-services, perceived transaction security, responsiveness of e-services, and e-service ease of use) on customer satisfaction. Findings reveal variables' positive and significant influence statistically at p < 0.05. This implies that domestic tourists' satisfaction through e-commerce service quality in Tanzania is facilitated by reliability of e-services, perceived transaction security, responsiveness of e-services and e-service ease of use. Tourism managers need to ensure that all important pre-requisites necessary for tourism e-service quality provision are in place. The government and other responsible stakeholders need to invest in facilitative digital facilities to ensure optimal e-service quality are reliable at all times.
At present, the link between the deployment of new technologies and the integrated reporting (IR) processes is a topic of growing interest. The relationship between digital transformation (DT) and IR represents an underexplored field. After analysing from a theoretical point of view the emerging profiles both of IR and DT, this research investigates a sample of European companies included in the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) database. The aim is to analyse the positioning of the information about DT within the 'content elements' and to assess its different dimensions. The main findings show that the companies under analysis reported more information about DT in 'organisational overview and external environment' and in 'strategy and resource allocation'. Furthermore, technology-intensive sectors reported more about DT. Given the preliminary nature of the study and its findings, it paves the way for further research on the topic.
Technological innovation and digital transformation are recognised as a priority because they enable faster, more flexible and efficient processes. This phenomenon is also leading family businesses undergoing radical transformation, despite the fact that they have always been considered backward and conservative. Through case study methodology, the paper aims to highlight the possibility of embarking on a path of opening up family businesses to new technologies and the introduction of digital solutions, while maintaining their traditional focus on long-term planning and without neglecting family history, culture and traditions. The implication of this work is to show the importance of current and future generations becoming aware of the need to identify new technological tools and innovative solutions to improve their competitiveness in an era of great turbulence, while continuing to leverage their entrepreneurial identity and, at the same time, preserving and protecting family cohesion over time.
This paper wants to analyse the research opportunities for use of big data in the financial system and in particular in the choice of financing. Big data are a central theme in literature, due to their great use in many contexts, such as data management, marketing services and so on. We first have to analyse the literature review in order to study the central theme. The purpose is to present a snapshot of big data academic research in the financial system and to highlight areas for further research. So, this narrative examination serves as a suitable starting point for potential research and development and allows researchers to define and refine research area. Financial system in this paper includes all the phases of the decision-making of business financing choices and therefore of contact also with banks and financial intermediaries. The research questions are: 'What are the most important themes in the existing research in big data? ' and 'Where are the resulting gaps in the literature? '.
At the EU level, there is a wide consensus on the necessity to incorporate digital technologies at all levels of education to prepare young school students for the future. In Italy, many innovative projects have been launched since the initiation of the National Plan for Digital Education in 2015. However, it is not clear how this innovation strategy has been or should be integrated into existing strategic objectives. Empirical data, based on desk research and interviews, indicate that managerial tools and reports used by public schools do not clearly include digital innovation among the key areas of self-reflection, nor help school leaders to visualise the possible outcomes generated by digital technologies. Therefore, the paper elaborates on the advantages of a strategic control system like the balanced scorecard, contributing to the debate on what extent measurement in public sector organisations can be based on frameworks originally developed in a private sector context.
Recent tourism literature has identified the sensory dimension as key to understanding, planning and marketing tourist experiences. This paper aims to understand to what extent Italian regions consider the sensorial perspective in tourist communication, focusing the analysis on their institutional websites. We used the content analysis method considering two different periods to investigate the evolution of Italian tourism promotion. The results show that for all institutional websites, over time, attention engages only some of the five sensorial dimensions. That is, the communication does not appear balanced. Furthermore, the promotional communication in several regions is more oriented towards a specific human sense in both periods. Empirical evidence can offer useful knowledge to those involved in the planning and promotion of tourist offerings, as well as to managers, to develop a stronger and more attractive destination image.
A database is a set of homogeneous data with the same content or format. The copyright legal protection is intertwined with the problems linked to the creation of databases that are filled with information gradually accumulated. The main EU directive is Dir. 96/9/CE sets the double protection available for databases that "shall not extend to their contents and shall be without prejudice to any rights subsisting in those contents themselves." The value of a database cannot always be automatically estimated, because it may be part of a broader context. The database can be estimated as a part of an intangible asset portfolio, and can be tied to patents, brands and trademarks. The methods of estimating the value of intangible assets can first of all be used to calculate the economic worth of the databases. This research aims to identify the variables having the most impact on the economic valuation of the copyright in musical streaming.
Social media (SM) can help museums promote their activities worldwide and extend the visitors' experience. In the past few years, the Greek museums have adopted SM to promote their presence and educate the public. However, they failed to use them as a key marketing tool since they face major problems, such as limited funding. We have selected as our case studies, two important Greek museums (The Museum of the Royal Tombs at Aigai and the archaeological museum of Thessaloniki). We conducted a quantitative, (i.e., metrics) and qualitative research, (i.e., interviews and frame analysis) to understand the actual role of SM and Facebook in their marketing activities. Although both museums try to use different SM to interact with the public, their presence in most SM is rather limited. Our research provides useful insights for the museums' managers and the national policymakers for a more effective use of SM.
An inductive mixed-method research design was applied to explore how digital media impacted tourism, in particular, religious journeys by Christians and Muslims to a special physical destination during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Rhetorical data were reviewed to analyse the key factors impacting digital religious tourism. Several theories were uncovered to explain the impact of digital media on religious tourism. A theoretical framework was developed for future research based on the best-fitting conceptual model. The results indicated that religious tourism is mostly being impacted by smartphone Wi-Fi connectivity within protected zones like Mecca, and by cellular internet access along the journey through rural areas. This exploratory study will inspire new empirical research.
As the OECD reports, smaller and medium-sized companies are the main cornerstone of most global economies. The detection of SMEs' transaction values usually refers to public enterprises in order to establish which best strategies are to adopt. This paradigm implies that generally recognised guidelines are, in some circumstances, hardly applicable to the valuation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Typically, maintaining SMEs' specific peculiarities, they cannot provide proper values with their information system since the recognised methods are usually prepared for large-scale enterprises. This paper illustrates the different solutions proposed by scholars in order to reflect the SME's typicalities in the process of business valuation with specific regard to the internet-based enterprises. The final section of this paper concludes that SME valuations of traditional and internet-based markets require adaptations and not the creation of new models.
