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Inquiring about the patterns of interaction within clusters can provide a valuable insight into the cooperation and competition strategies followed by firms. However, such internal patterns are difficult to identify using conventional methods. This study aims to apply a social network analysis approach to identify and analyze different sub-groups of firms within a dairy cluster. These sub-groups seem to respond to different forms of productive organization, with different levels of territorial anchorage.

The authors study the dairy cluster in the south-west of Uruguay, where one of the country’s main industries is located. The authors use data from semi-structured interviews applied to managing directors of 40 dairy industrial firms. The authors analyze the collaboration network among firms and industry support organizations. Using a community detection algorithm, the authors identify strategic groups of firms and organizations within the network. The authors analyze information from the interviews to delve deeper into the strategies pursued by actors in each of these sub-groups.

The four groups identified by the algorithm respond to particular logics associated not only with collaborative behavior, but also with territorial distribution and competitive strategies pursued by firms. In particular, these communities show a positive association between the centrality of their nodes in the network, the size of their firms, their export orientation and their innovative capacity. These associations indicate the co-existence, within the cluster, of different local productive systems and other forms of productive organization.

The paper illustrates how different strategies of firms within a cluster can be understood using social network analysis. This approach is particularly interesting in agri-food clusters, where their wider dispersion in the territory often implies their firms following different collaborative and competitive strategies, and different levels of territorial anchorage.

This paper aims to analyse how local agri-food systems (LAFS), compared to other production models, can offer innovative responses to the important environmental challenges facing food production under the twin transition. These responses are more conducive to community inclusion and local development.

The paper combines territorial development, clusters and industrial districts literature with studies on agri-food industry environmental problems and twin transition technologies to develop an agri-food systems typology. This typology is based on a territorial approach to environmental challenges of food production and serves to illustrate the ways in which LAFS can provide innovative responses to these challenges.

The study allows to visualise the differences between LAFS and other agri-food production models, showing how the operationalisation and implementation of digitisation occur at territorial level and how rural communities are involved in the process. The theoretical proposal emphasises not assuming that technology is inherently beneficial but ensuring that its implementation is inclusive and generates social value for the communities.

The paper aims to enrich future research by adopting a territorial perspective to study the twin transition challenges associated with food production systems.

This paper aims to analyze the relationship between inter-firm collaboration network and the type of innovation strategies that can be followed by firms: buy or make innovation. In particular, the authors seek to analyze which are the network topologies that facilitate firms following a buy innovation strategy compared to those network properties that encourage internal R&D activities.

The authors use data from a fieldwork with face-to-face interviews applied to managing directors of firms in the rubber and plastic cluster of Uruguay. Subsequently, they combine social network analysis with regression techniques to determine how inter-firm networks can influence different types of innovation activities.

The authors find that degree centrality facilitates a buy innovation strategy, while betweenness centrality is positively associated with making innovation. Thus, having many direct links with other firms and organizations is relevant to buy innovation. However, indirect links that allow the firm to occupy a strategic position in the network are crucial to develop in-house innovation strategies.

The results offer an advance in the explanation of the incidence of the cluster network structure on the firms innovation strategies; however, they should be contrasted with similar analysis in others clusters and complemented with in depth case studies on the mechanisms behind these phenomena.

These findings have practical implications for business innovation strategy. One factor that should be taken into account is the way in which firms interact with other actors in the cluster. On the one hand, firms can decide to establish and maintain many direct collaboration links, which may contribute to buy innovation. On the other hand, they can follow a more strategic and selective collaboration strategy to make innovation, a strategy that carefully studies not only its direct collaborations, but also what the potential indirect connections would be.

These findings have policy implications regarding industry support organizations. The findings show that such organizations contribute significantly to the overall connectivity and cohesion of networks. This fact allows some firms to register high levels of betweenness centrality, and therefore, organizations can be an interesting instrument to support firms aiming to follow a make innovation strategy.

This study contributes to the literature that analyzes how inter-firm collaboration networks can influence innovation. In line with previous research, results verify that centrality is positively associated with innovation. However, the main contribution of this research is to provide evidence on different ways in which inter-firm networks are related to different innovation strategies (make or buy). In addition, the authors contribute to the understanding of collaboration dynamics and innovation activities in inter-firm interactions within a typical case of a low-tech cluster created under the so-called state-led industrialization model in Latin America.

Este artículo busca estudiar la relación entre las redes de colaboración entre empresas y las diferentes estrategias de innovación. En concreto, se centra en la clásica distinción entre comprar la innovación o desarrollarla en el seno de la empresa.

El artículo estudia el clúster del caucho y plástico de Uruguay, situado en el área metropolitana de Montevideo y Canelones. Los datos se obtuvieron de un trabajo de campo, con 118 entrevistas cara a cara a gerentes de empresas del clúster. Se combinan técnicas de análisis de redes sociales con regresiones logísticas para estimar cómo la posición en la red influye sobre las estrategias de innovación.

Los resultados prueban que la red tiene efectos diferenciados en las estrategias de innovación: mientras que la centralidad de grado (tener muchas conexiones) facilita que las empresas compren innovación, la centralidad de intermediación (ocupar una posición estratégica en la red) está positivamente asociada con el desarrollo de innovación dentro de la empresa.

El artículo realiza una contribución relevante a la literatura sobre redes de innovación al aclarar la relación entre diferentes formas de colaboración en red y distintas estrategias de innovación. Además, resulta de especial interés su estudio de la innovación y las interacciones entre empresas en un caso típico de industria de baja tecnología, creada bajo el llamado modelo de industrialización dirigido por el estado.

Análisis de redes sociales, Innovación, Industrias de baja tecnología, Clúster industrial, Caucho y plástico, Uruguay

O objetivo deste artigo é estudar como as redes de colaboração entre empresas estão relacionadas a diferentes estratégias de inovação seguidas pelas empresas. Em particular, concentra-se na chamada distinção entre comprar e fazer inovação.

O artigo estuda o cluster industrial de borracha e plásticos do Uruguai, localizado nas regiões metropolitanas de Montevidéu e Canelones. Os dados foram obtidos a partir do trabalho de campo, através de 118 entrevistas face-a-face aplicadas a diretores executivos de empresas. Ele combina análise de redes sociais com técnicas de regressão logística para determinar como a posição nas redes de colaboração influencia as estratégias de inovação.

Os resultados provam que a rede tem efeitos diferentes pelo tipo de estratégia de inovação: a centralidade dos graus das firmas (isto é, ter muitos links diretos) facilita a compra de inovações externas, enquanto a centralidade entre as posições (estando localizada em uma posição estratégica na rede) é positivamente associado com a inovação dentro da empresa.

O artigo fornece uma contribuição relevante para a literatura sobre redes de inovação, elucidando a relação entre diferentes formas de colaboração e diferentes estratégias de inovação. Além disso, faz uma contribuição especial, concentrando-se em inovações e interações entre firmas dentro de um caso típico de uma indústria de baixa tecnologia criada sob o chamado modelo de industrialização liderado pelo Estado.

Análise de redes sociais, Inovação, Indústrias de baixa tecnologia, Cluster industrial, Borracha e plásticos, Uruguai

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Firms can enhance their capacity to innovate through involvement in network collaborations. The position they adopt within the network determines access to relevant and diverse knowledge and information that can subsequently be used to develop and implement an appropriate innovation strategy.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in the construction of hegemonies in SEA research in Brazil. In particular, we examine the role of hegemony in relation to the co-option of SEA literature and sustainability in the Brazilian context by the logic of development for economic growth in emerging economies. The methodological approach adopts a post-structural perspective that reflects Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The study employs a hermeneutical, rhetorical approach to understand and classify 352 Brazilian research articles on SEA. We employ Brown and Fraser’s (2006) categorizations of SEA literature to help in our analysis: the business case, the stakeholder–accountability approach, and the critical case. We argue that the business case is prominent in Brazilian studies. Second-stage analysis suggests that the major themes under discussion include measurement, consulting, and descriptive approach. We argue that these themes illustrate the degree of influence of the hegemonic politics relevant to emerging economics, as these themes predominantly concern economic growth and a capitalist context. This paper discusses trends and practices in the Brazilian literature on SEA and argues that the focus means that SEA avoids critical debates of the role of capitalist logics in an emerging economy concerning sustainability. We urge the Brazilian academy to understand the implications of its reifying agenda and engage, counter-hegemonically, in a social and political agenda beyond the hegemonic support of a particular set of capitalist interests.

Adoption rates of commodity futures contracts among farmers are rather low in Europe despite their political support. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) can contribute to the understanding of farmers’ intention to use commodity futures contracts. Here, the authors explicitly distinguish between usage motives for price risk reduction and speculation.

The study is based on an online survey with 134 German farmers using partial least squares structural equation modeling to estimate the TAM.

The intention to use commodity futures contracts is mostly driven by farmers’ motivation for speculation rather than price risk reduction. Assuming risk averse farmers, this result could explain low adoption rates. Furthermore, perceived ease of use has a positive effect on the intention to use commodity futures contracts.

Handling of price hedging instruments should be facilitated to increase farmers’ adoption. Effective marketing trainings, which can demonstrate the ability of commodity futures contracts to reduce price risk, could increase farmers’ motivation to use them for their risk management instead of speculation.

This study analyzes path relationships between constructs expected to influence the intention to use commodity futures contracts which are allowed to be estimated by the TAM in one model. Here, the authors explicitly distinguish between usage motives for price risk reduction and speculation. This is the first study applying the TAM to price risk management tools.

The purpose of the current study is to identify variables that, when integrated into the random effects parametric survival model, could be used to forecast the failure rate of small banks in the USA. A bank’s income production, efficiency and costs were taken into consideration when choosing the internal components. The breakout of the financial crisis, bank regulations that affect how the banking sector operates and the federal funds rate are the primary external variables.

This study uses the random effects parametric survival model to investigate the causes of small bank failures in the USA from 1996 to 2019. The study identifies several characteristics that failed banks frequently display. The main indications that may help to identify the elevated risk of small bank failures include the ROA, the cost of funds, the ratio of noninterest income to assets, the ratio of loan and lease losses to assets, noninterest expenses and core capital (leverage) ratio to assets. Economic disruptions, financial market distress and industry-based regulatory redress by the government exacerbate the financial distress borne by small banks.

The study revealed that a failed bank typically demonstrates a certain number of characteristics. The key factors that might assist identify which bank would be most likely to collapse include the cost of funding earning assets, the yield on earning assets, core Capital (leverage) ratio to assets, loan and lease loss provision to assets, noninterest expense and noninterest income to assets. Additionally, when a financial crisis occurs or the government changes regulations that could raise the cost of compliance for small banks, the likelihood that a bank will fail increases.

Models based on survival theories are more suitable when the authors examine bank failure as a unique event that happens gradually. The authors use a random effects parametric survival model to investigate the internal and external factors that may influence prospective small bank failure. This model has been developed and used in the medicinal research field. The authors do not choose the Cox proportional hazards model because it does not work well with panel data.

This paper aims to investigate the drivers of systemic risk and contagion among European banks from 2007 to 2012. The authors explain why some banks are expected to contribute more to systemic events in the European financial system than others by analysing the tail co-movement of banks’ security prices.

First, the authors derive a systemic risk measure from the concepts of marginal expected shortfall and conditional value at risk analysing tail co-movements of daily bank stock returns. The authors then run panel regressions for the systemic risk measure using idiosyncratic bank characteristics and a set of country and policy control variables.

The results comprise highly significant drivers of systemic risk in the European banking sector with important implications for research and banking regulation. Using a set of panel regressions, the authors identify bank size, asset and income structure, loss and liquidity coverage, profitability and several macroeconomic conditions as drivers of systemic risk.

Analysing the tail co-movement of security prices excludes a number of “smaller” institutions without publicly listed securities. The other shortfall is that we do not assess the systemic impact of non-bank financial institutions.

Regulators have to consider a broad variety of indicators for assessing systemic risks. Existing microprudential-oriented rules are less effective, and policymakers may consider new measures like asset diversification to mitigate systemic risks in the banking system.

The authors contribute to existing empirical analyses in three ways. First, they propose a method to identify systemically important banks (SIBs). Second, they develop two measures to assess their potential negative impact on the system. Third, they contribute to the closing of the research gaps by analysing which macroprudential regulations for SIBs are most effective without hampering free market forces.

The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, testing the relationships between internal marketing and employee satisfaction; second, investigating the links between employee satisfaction and perceived organizational performance; and finally, testing the relationship between internal marketing and perceived organizational performance.

Data were collected from 419 employees working in 53 microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Kivu (DR Congo). Data processing was performed using structural equations modeling through LISREL 9.1.

The results revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between internal marketing and employee satisfaction. The results also revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between internal marketing and perceived organizational performance. However, no significant relationship between employee satisfaction and perceived organizational performance was identified.

There is a need to conduct a large qualitative survey aiming to understand why MFIs apply internal marketing and marketing practices in general. The results from such a study would serve to prepare a global quantitative study, which integrates in the same model internal marketing, external market orientation, employee job satisfaction (EJS), and organizational performance.

Results invite MFIs managers to change their mind and focus more on their employees. In fact, employees generate the most cost in general but they can also contribute to sustain growth and profitability. This is possible if they are better rewarded for their efforts.

This study links internal marketing, EJS and perceived performance in a sector and country which have been less or not studied in the marketing sector.

The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating role of institutional ownership on the relationship between board gender diversity and earnings management (EM) among listed firms in East African Community (EAC) partner states.

The study used a sample of 71 firms listed in the EAC partner states over 2011–2020. Data were handpicked from the individual firm's audited annual financial reports. Based on the results of the Hausman test, the study used the results of the fixed-effect regression model to test the hypotheses. To test the robustness of the results, the study employed an alternative measure of EM and two additional econometric techniques, including the pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) and the system generalized method of moments (GMM).

The empirical findings revealed that female directors improve the board's effectiveness in monitoring managerial roles. Specifically, the results showed a significantly negative relationship between the proportion of women in the corporate board and EM (as measured by discretionary accruals (DAs)). The findings further revealed an inverse relationship between the proportion of institutional ownership and EM. Finally, the results further demonstrated that institutional ownership enhances the role of board gender diversity in mitigating EM among listed firms in the EAC.

The findings of this study may be useful to managers, investors and regulators in assessing the role of institutional ownership and women's participation on corporate boards as a strategy for alleviating unethical manipulation of earnings.

The findings of this study contribute to the growing concern on gender inequality, especially the marginalization of women from the paid labor force and decision-making. The findings highlight the importance of having more women in the corporate board since this may help in mitigating corporate fraud. Similarly, the findings highlight the importance of institutional ownership as a corporate governance (CG) tool.

Previous studies have reported mixed empirical results on whether board gender diversity mitigates EM. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first paper to fill the existing gap by exploring whether institutional ownership moderates the relationship between board gender diversity and EM among listed firms in the EAC.