Showing papers by "Libera! published in 2010"

Lachmannian Insights into Strategic Entrepreneurship: Resources, Activities and Routines in a Disequilibrium World

Abstract: Recent contributions to the organizational literature see the radical subjectivist and disequilibrium framework of Ludwig Lachmann as providing a suitable foundation for strategic entrepreneurial studies, in that his approach seeks independence from conventional equilibrium-based reasoning. In a Lachmannian spirit, this article suggests that strategizing can fruitfully be viewed as choices made by the entrepreneur in terms of the organization’s constituent resources, activities and routines together with their recombinations and complexifications. Cast in a general, disequilibrium setting, the strategic goals that guide the organizational entrepreneur’s strategizing can be formulated in terms of the construction and capture of resource complementarities, the pursuit of increasing returns through activities reconfiguration, and the generation of learning and dynamic capabilities through reconfiguration of routines. Once formulated in this way, the strategizing issues may be seen to make sense not just in t...

Protecting Critical Infrastructure in the EU

Abstract: Critical infrastructures such as energy, communications, banking, transportation, public government services, information technology etc., are more vital to industrialized economies and now than ever before. At the same time, these infrastructures are becoming increasingly dependent on each other, such that failure of one of them can often propagate and result in domino effects.The emerging challenge of Critical (information) Infrastructure Protection (C(I)IP) has been recognized by nearly all member states of the European Union: politicians are increasingly aware of the threats posed by radical political movements and terrorist attacks, as well as the need to develop better response capacity in case of natural disasters. Responses to these facts have been in line with the available resources and possibilities of each country, so that certain countries are already quite advanced in translating the C(I)IP challenge into measures, whereas others are lagging behind. In the international arena of this policy domain, Europe is still in search of a role to play. Recently, CIIP policy has been integrated in the EU Digital Agenda, which testifies to the growing importance of securing resilient infrastructures for the future.This important and most topical Task Force Report is the result of in-depth discussions between experts from different backgrounds and offers a number of observations and recommendations for a more effective and joined-up European policy response to the protection of critical infrastructure.

Ranking economic history journals: a citation-based impact-adjusted analysis

Abstract: This study ranks—for the first time—12 international academic journals that have economic history as their main topic The ranking is based on data collected for the year 2007 Journals are ranked using standard citation analysis where we adjust for age, size and self-citation of journals We also compare the leading economic history journals with the leading journals in economics in order to measure the influence on economics of economic history, and vice versa With a few exceptions, our results confirm the general idea about what economic history journals are the most influential for economic history, and that, although economic history is quite independent from economics as a whole, knowledge exchange between the two fields is indeed going on

A New Approach to Innovation Policy in the European Union

Abstract: Innovation policy is increasingly coming under the spotlight in the European Union, and has been given a prominent role in the EU 2020 strategy and in the flagship initiatives that will aim to ensure that Europe succeeds where the Lisbon strategy failed.In years to come, problems such as the fragmentation of competences at EU and member state level; the need to fill the ‘skills gap’ and address the changing nature of innovation; the absence of a Community patent and a common framework for litigation; the need to refine the EU policy on technology transfer and standardisation; and the need to provide suitable funding instruments to boost the potential of innovative companies will all take on more urgency.The CEPS Task Force on Innovation Policy – chaired by Maria Anvret – reflected on these issues between September 2009 and May 2010. This Report, drafted by Rapporteurs Massimilano Granieri and Andrea Renda on the basis of contributions by industry representatives, officials of EU institutions, academics and practitioners provides recommendations on all the above-mentioned issues, with a view to contributing to one of the greatest challenges of today: unlocking the EU’s innovation potential and promoting its competitiveness in a global economy.

To Patent or Not to Patent: A Pilot Experiment on Incentives to Copyright in a Sequential Innovation Setting

Abstract: This paper presents preliminary results from a pilot experiment dealing with the economic motivations to contribute to Free/Open Source Software (FOSS). In a seminal paper Bessen and Maskin (2006) argue that in a dynamic sequential innovation framework in which every innovation builds on previous inventions the standard argument for granting patent protection is no more valid and the innovator has at certain conditions an incentive to fully disclose the results of his works; in these same conditions, a copyright strategy could result in a tragedy of the anticommons (Heller 1998, Buchanan 2000). We study in the lab the choice of copyrighting or copylefting subsequent innovations in a dynamic setting a la Bessen and Maskin, introducing an innovative experimental design requiring real effort on the part of subjects. The players are asked to actually 'innovate' producing words from given letters, and face the choice to copyright or copyleft their words. Subsequent words can be created by modifying existing words, for free if a word is copylefted, and paying a fixed license fee if the word is copyrighted. Preliminary results show that copyleft is more likely to emerge when royalty fees are relatively high, and when the extendability, modularity and manipulability of inventions is enhanced. Moreover, copyleft innovations are sparsely started but once set in motion attract a higher number of contributors than copyrighted innovations, generating higher quality innovations and showing a more thorough exploration of possible profitable extensions. Finally, high royalty fees tend to generate anticommons effects, namely a lower rate of cooperation resulting in underuse of resources and lower innovative output.

After the crisis : the way ahead

Abstract: The 2007-2009 crisis has been christened "financial" because its most spectacular features did show up in the financial sector. But the crisis is a crisis because of its consequences on the real economy: the fall of GDP, teh rise of unemployment and the human distress caused by the loss of income and jobs. Indeed if it were not for these painful effects, why should we care?

To Patent or Not to Patent: A Pilot Experiment on Incentives to Copyright in a Sequential Innovation Setting

Abstract: This paper presents preliminary results from a pilot experiment dealing with the economic motivations to contribute to Free/Open Source Software (FOSS). Bessen and Maskin [1] argue that in a dynamic sequential innovation framework the standard argument for granting patent protection is no more valid and the innovator has at certain conditions an incentive to fully disclose the results of his works; in these same conditions, a copyright strategy could result in a tragedy of the anticommons [5,2].

Production planning and knowledge interoperability utility and value-added services in Aerospace domain

Abstract: The Aerospace domain is one of the several domains addressed by the COIN Project This paper reports the work done in the adoption of innovative Production Planning and Knowledge Interoperability Utility and Value-Added Services in the end-user business processes With knowledge interoperability it is here intended to exploit at best, by using semantics-based technologies, the knowledge of enterprises cooperating in a cluster, leveraging on their complementarities, and avoiding unnecessary overlapping With Production Planning it is here addressed the enhancement of collaboration among cluster partners in the creation of production plans and complementary activities The work is applied to a test case in the aerospace technological district located in the Lazio region of Italy The test case has been extensively documented with a particular focus on the description of scenario challenges and on the expected benefits coming from the adoption of COIN services Results and business benefits are presented A specific section is devoted to the presentation of the innovative services in which their functionalities are outlined

Single-Firm Conduct: A Discipline in Search of Itself (Try with Google?)

Abstract: The American way: some remarks. The Google case: a test in real-time. Yet another culture clash, or a simpler joint confusion? Exploitation v. exclusion: planning the match. Some conclusions (and a modest proposal).

Prove tecniche di selfbranding: dal social networking 2.0 all’impegno civico della street-culture

Abstract: O artigo aborda o selfbranding no contexto da rede social 2.0, que transforma a identidade humana, o sistema de relacoes sociais, a cultura ou subcultura de pertencimento, valores que caracterizam um determinado estilo de vida, em um fenomeno comunicativo amplo, consolidado, legitimado socialmente e mundialmente reconhecido. O advento da web 2.0 intensificou os sites pessoais, blogs, comunidades de rede e criou uma nova sindrome autopromocional de forma a modificar um egoismo social, algo que pode ser verificado na moda dos jovens inspirada na cultura urbana.

Calcul stochastique via régularisation en dimension infinie avec perspectives financières

Abstract: This thesis develops some aspects of stochastic calculus via regularization to Banach valued processes. An original concept of Chi-quadratic variation is introduced, where Chi is a subspace of the dual of a tensor product B⊗B where B is the values space of some process X process. Particular interest is devoted to the case when B is the space of real continuous functions defined on [-τ,0], τ>0. Ito formulae and stability of finite Chi-quadratic variation processes are established. Attention is deserved to a finite real quadratic variation (for instance Dirichlet, weak Dirichlet) process X. The C([-τ,0])-valued process X(•) defined by X_t(y) = X_{t+y}, where y ∈ [-τ,0], is called window process. Let T >0. If X is a finite quadratic variation process such that [X]_t = t and h = H(X_T(•)) where H:C([-T,0])→R is L^{2}([-T,0])-smooth or H non smooth but finitely based it is possible to represent h as a sum of a real H_0 plus a forward integral of type \int_0^T \xi d^-X where H_0 and \xi are explicitly given. This representation result will be strictly linked with a function u:[0,T]x C([-T,0])→R which in general solves an infinite dimensional partial differential equation with the property H_{0}=u(0, X_{0}(•)), \xi_t=Du(t, X_{t}(•))({0}). This decomposition generalizes important aspects of Clark-Ocone formula which is true when X is the standard Brownian motion W. The financial perspective of this work is related to hedging theory of path dependent options without semimartingales.

Impact of inter-organisational interdependencies on collaborative quality management in Enterprise Networks

Abstract: Demanding customer requirements have led to the situation where products are realised in Enterprise Networks by different collaborating companies. From our understanding Enterprise Networks are based on interorganisational relations between Enterprise Network members. The analysis and support of visualisation of those inter-organisational relations, by developing innovative IT-services, is the main objective of this paper. To achieve demanding customer requirements it makes essential for Enterprise Networks to guarantee equal quality as one single company does. Inter-organisational relations result in inter-organisational interdependencies which make new demands on managing quality in Enterprise Networks. This paper discusses in particular these demands and offers a suggestion for an innovative IT-service to support the management of interdependencies and thus of quality in Enterprise Networks.

Lateral Instability of Overtopping Jets Evolving into Fingering Surfaces

Abstract: Lateral instability of overtopping jets is manifested when a breaking wave hits a vertical wall, resulting in formation of so-called finger jets. This study presents that the instability is caused by changes in orientation of capillary waves on the stretched surface rising at high acceleration, and that the evolution of the resulting fingers depends on relative distance between the breaking point and location of the wall. Population of the sprays with very high rise velocity over 9 m/s significantly increases when incident waves break in front of the wall due to expansion of air pocket squeezed between the jet and wall.