Dominique Lepore

Bio: Dominique Lepore is an academic researcher from University of Macerata. The author has contributed to research in topics: Business & Activity-based costing. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 16 publications receiving 75 citations.

The digital transformation of SMEs – a new knowledge broker called the digital innovation hub

Abstract: This study aims to understand if and how European digital innovation hubs (DIHs) filling the role of knowledge brokers (KBs) can support the digital transformation (DX) of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by triggering open innovation (OI) practices.,After presenting a conceptual model of reference, a survey and a subsequent in-depth interview were conducted to capture evidence from Italian DIHs. These structures were selected for their growing importance, as confirmed by the National Plan for Industry 4.0.,The findings highlight that Italian DIHs act not only as KBs but also as knowledge sources that give rise to a digital imprinting process that is able to shape the DX of SMEs.,Research on knowledge sharing and OI has mainly focused on large firms. The study covers the gaps identified in the literature by considering the role of KBs in enabling SMEs to embrace DX.

Industry 4.0 Accelerating Sustainable Manufacturing in the COVID-19 Era: Assessing the Readiness and Responsiveness of Italian Regions

Abstract: An unpredictable shock hit the Italian economy in February 2020 when the spread of the COVID-19 virus began in Italy and other countries worldwide. In this context, Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies can be a fundamental tool for economic recovery by favouring the shift towards sustainable manufacturing. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the readiness of countries for I4.0 in order to guide policies in defining incentives to promote I4.0 and unlock its potential in the pandemic era. In this context, the paper aims to understand the readiness and responsiveness of the Italian Regions with respect to I4.0 concepts prior to the pandemic and identify best practices that are supporting companies in I4.0 adoption, with a focus on those incentivizing sustainable practices. An assessment framework before the pandemic is provided based on two dimensions: the readiness of firms to invest in I4.0 and favourable structural conditions. The assessment shows a group of alert regions as opposed to a group of unprepared, mostly linked Northern and Southern differences. Assuming that the “alert regions” are more likely to effectively manage and overcome the post- COVID-19 crisis, we provide a picture of how the Italian Regions have sought to encourage the adoption of digital technologies to improve resilience after the shock. The analysis shows that supporting measures mainly address Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Furthermore, the tenders encouraging the adoption of I4.0 suggest that collaboration among stakeholders will become imperative.

Knowledge Sharing Opportunities for Industry 4.0 Firms

Abstract: This paper focuses on the role that collaboration holds in supporting knowledge sharing mechanisms for the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies. We develop a qualitative analysis based on four firms that show a collaborative approach both in the regional ecosystem in which they are included and within their organizational structure. The objective is twofold, i.e. to understand if and how the introduction of 4.0 technologies has changed the nature of the relationships with external knowledge sources, and if and how 4.0 technologies have redefined the collaborative culture within the organizational structure. The findings show that collaboration is imperative for introducing 4.0 technologies. The firms reveal to hold a mentoring role by supporting other less advanced firms in the adoption of 4.0 technologies and confirm that 4.0 technologies are facilitating the emergence of a collaborative culture in the regional ecosystem. On the other hand, both formal and informal collaborative approaches within their organization are found to support the adoption of new digital technologies.

Integrating Industry 4.0 plans into regional innovation strategies

Abstract: The article aims to shed light on why and how Smart Specialization Strategies in European countries can promote the development of Industry 4.0 actions in the next programming period 2021–2027. Sma...

Exploring the Foreign Exposure of Chinese Science Parks in a Triple Helix Model

Abstract: This exploratory study sheds light on the role of Chinese science parks (SPs) in fostering the foreign exposure of the actors of a Triple Helix Model (THM) for innovation. Linking the Chinese ‘Go G...

The knowledge-creating company : how Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation

Abstract: How has Japan become a major economic power, a world leader in the automotive and electronics industries? What is the secret of their success? The consensus has been that, though the Japanese are not particularly innovative, they are exceptionally skilful at imitation, at improving products that already exist. But now two leading Japanese business experts, Ikujiro Nonaka and Hiro Takeuchi, turn this conventional wisdom on its head: Japanese firms are successful, they contend, precisely because they are innovative, because they create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies. Examining case studies drawn from such firms as Honda, Canon, Matsushita, NEC, 3M, GE, and the U.S. Marines, this book reveals how Japanese companies translate tacit to explicit knowledge and use it to produce new processes, products, and services.

Trust and Power

Abstract: nosis, and, like a skilled investigator, he traces down the problem’s deep roots. But in the end, the readers are left to grapple with contemporary implications on their own. ‘‘The word credit in the retail business is a sign to a dangerous road that has led many a merchant to disaster, but a road which must be traveled’’ (p. 77). These were the 1904 words of a certain J. E. R. Chilton, the founder of the Chilton Company, which was to become a leader in the computerization of consumer reporting and eventually was purchased by Experian. At the turn of the past century, it was the merchants who had no choice but to sell on credit, despite the costs they paid—either in unpaid or protracted bills or in efforts to minimize them. Today, it is the consumers who have no choice but to swap access for being surveilled, while the data are used to calibrate their future access through ‘‘classification situations’’ (Fourcade and Healy 2013). This engaging and richly documented book will no doubt be of great interest to scholars and students of consumer credit, credit surveillance, and financial identity in the United States.

Measurement of potential absorption capacity in Colombia's innovative companies [Medición de la capacidad de absorción potencial en las empresas innovadoras de Colombia]

Abstract: El artículo tiene como objetivo evaluar el nivel de desarrollo de la capacidad de absorción realizada (RACAP) en las Pyme colombianas. Se parte de una muestra de 363 Pyme colombianas (Dane,2012), se usa una revisión de literatura con apoyo del análisis de contenido y un modelo de regresión lineal, que permiten mostrar la existencia de una correlación lineal positiva entre la adquisición y asimilación del conocimiento externo en las organizaciones objeto de estudio,. Palabras clave: Capacidades de absorción, capacidades de absorción potencial, medición de las capacidades de absorción ABSTRACT: