VIDEO SIDREA PRESENTAZIONE SITO

PROMUOVIAMO LO SVILUPPO DELLA CULTURA ECONOMICO - AZIENDALE

The impact of the pandemic crisis on the digital transition process of Italian SMEs

In recent years, the digital revolution has impacted the entrepreneurial system globally, forcing companies to review their business models, products, and services value proposition. Companies must implement digital technologies in production processes to exploit new opportunities. This requires investing in machinery and devices and acquiring new knowledge.

The national and European economic system mainly comprises Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), characterized by low managerial skills and undercapitalization, which may hinder the required investments in information technology.

In Italy, the digital transition is constrained by the structural limits of its conservative entrepreneurial fabric. However, the recent pandemic crisis has accelerated this digital transition process. More and more companies have invested in R&D to increase the production process’s automation level and improve their digital capabilities.

Literature has been widely investigating the impact of the pandemic crisis on the innovation process of SMEs adopting different perspectives.

The study aims to answer the following research questions (RQs).

RQ1: Which main foci can be identified in literature facing the impact of COVID-19 on the SMEs’ innovation process?

RQ2: Which new needs arose during the pandemic fostering digitalization?

To answer RQ1, a Structured Literature Review (SLR) is adopted (128 studies identified on the SCOPUS database).

To answer RQ2, a qualitative methodology is used based on direct observation of two Italian firms

Keywords: Digital disruption, Small and Medium Enterprises, COVID-19, crisis, innovation

4_PAOLONI_APPENDICE

Competencies for Sustainable Development Goals Accounting: Educating public management for disclosure and reporting

Identifying competencies to report SDGs in accountants can enhance corporate disclosure effectiveness and provide more robust information to society. Public managers are called to control through the lens of collective objectives and multiple stakeholders’ interests. Based on the knowledge-attitude-skills triad and the political Delphi method, we could identify the antecedent factors to disclose SDGs successfully. The purpose was critical to developing competencies, aligning leaders’ mindsets, and suppressing public management barriers to reporting corporate SDGs. By identifying specific competencies, we bring the individual perspectives of accounting sustainability education.

Keywords: Competencies, Sustainable development goals, Sustainable accounting, Sustainability education, Sustainable Reporting, Sustainable accounting compliance,

Do electric and gas utilities use regulatory information for decision-making and control? An exploratory study from Italy

The aim of this paper is two-fold. First, it examines whether electric and gas utilities use regulatory information for internal decision-making and control. Second, it adopts an institutional lens to explore the extent to which the regulatory information imposed by the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks, and Environment (ARERA) and used for decision-making and control influence the management control systems (MCS) of electric and gas utilities.

Based on data from 33 questionnaires and eight complementary interviews with Italian electric and gas utilities, findings reveal different behaviors according to the size and operating activity of the firms. Large utilities and energy distributors use regulatory information for performance monitoring, benchmarking analysis, and investment prioritization strategies. On the contrary, small utilities and energy traders produce the information solely for regulatory compliance and do not use it in their day-to-day activities. Additionally, this study reveals that coercive pressure stemming from the regulatory environment affected the MCS of energy utilities either radically or incrementally. The findings underline the role of ARERA as a driver for controlling and improving performance.

Keywords: management accounting information, decision-making, control, MCS, institutional theory, energy industry

New digital technologies for social impact assessment: Considerations for Italian social economy organizations

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) holds significant relevance for Social Economy Organizations (SEOs) such as associations, foundations, social enterprises, social cooperatives, and consortiums for accountability and strategic planning purposes.

In Italy, the Third Sector Reform passed in 2016 mandates that an SIA should be conducted by third sector entities when they fall under specific circumsances as specified in the guidelines introduced in 2019. Notably, these guidelines do not propose a specific SIA model for Third Sector Entities (TSEs) but consider acceptable models that are internationally recognized in literature and practices. In this paper, we explore the opportunity to consider new digital technologies such as digital platforms, big data, blockchain, and artificial intelligence, to implement SIA for SEOs. We conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) on the intersection of SIA and digitalization in the context of SEOs. The bibliometric analysis aims to show main authors, countries, journals, and keywords associated with the literature on digital technologies and SIA of the SEOs.  Finally, various themes and trend topics were identified in this studied literature. We conclude with suggestions for further research.

Keywords: Social impact assessment, Social Economy, Nonprofit, Third sector, digital technologies.

Can we trust ESG Ratings? Some insights based on a bibliometric analysis of ESG data quality and rating reliability

The aim of this research is to investigate the quality and reliability of ESG data provided by companies, as well as the accuracy and objectivity of ESG ratings produced by sustainability rating agencies (SRAs). Since SRAs use companies’ non-financial information as input data when formulating their ESG ratings, these two topics appear to be strictly interconnected.

Drawing on the Shanon and Weaver (1949) model of communication, we have addressed these issues by means of a systematic literature review combined with a bibliometric analysis. In our investigation we run: i) the co-citation analysis to detect the seminal papers; ii) a keyword co-occurrence analysis to explore how the main features of the academic debate have unfolded in the last five years; iii) a keyword co-occurrence analysis to obtain a network visualisation map to explore how the research broad scope was articulated in different clusters (i.e., themes of research). Among the clusters that emerged from the mapping, we have decided to delve into the streams of research we consider most relevant and deal with: the relationships between ESG and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Namely, we deem that AI may allow us to process massive amounts of data that contain crucial information for ESG investing. However, even if computer algorithms are able to analyse all information available efficiently, and in a timely manner, managers and investors should be aware of their opportunities and criticisms, while scholars should list propositions for advancing the research on these topics.

Keywords: ESG ratings, Data quality, Theory of communication, Artificial Intelligence, Bibliometric analysis

DEMARTINI appendix 1

Management accounting implementation in SMEs: A Structured Literature Review

This paper aims to provide a state of the art of the current scientific literature on management accounting implementation phase in SMEs, whose economic impact in terms of GDP production and employment is recognized at worldwide level. Performing a structured literature review on the top journals’ publications related to four different scientific fields covering the period 2005-2021, we found 88 papers focusing on the topic. Findings reveal that the theoretical contribution on management accounting implementation in SMEs has registered a decreasing trend of publications and presents a very fragmented picture of approaches and scientific perspectives. In such conditions, over the last fifteen years the structural gap between theory and practice in the implementation of management accounting in SMEs appears to be widened rather than narrowed, leaving the smaller companies without effective academic support and propositions to face the new evolutionary challenges for the management control.

Keywords: Management accounting, SMEs, implementation, structured literature review

On the role of cost-effectiveness in accounting

Cost-effectiveness refers to the achievement of optimal allocation of limited resources and its ultimate purpose is to support rational decision-making. Cost-effectiveness principles govern financial reporting and managerial accounting frameworks, yet in practice these might not have been formally characterised and identified within the accounting literature due to semantic issues and norms. This article explores the nexus between cost-effectiveness and accounting by conducting a scoping review of the published literature. Findings from this study suggest that use of the cost-effectiveness criterion has increased over time and been more frequently employed by authors affiliated to U.S. academic institutions. Cost-effectiveness principles have been invoked both in published financial and managerial accounting research. However, only a handful of mostly empirical studies have quantified cost-effectiveness evidence and formally applied and discussed its analytical methods. This article highlights a research gap pertaining to the development of interdisciplinary frameworks and analytical methods able to formally integrate the concept of cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analyses into accounting research.

Keywords: cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, accounting, decision-making.

Appendix I – Identified articles for review

Extension Call for papers Special Issue in Financial Accountability & Management “Public financial management for Sustainable Development Goals: Challenges, experiences and perspectives”

Si porta a conoscenza dei soci che è stata prorogata al 15 ottobre 2023 la scadenza della call for papers per la SI in Financial Accountability & Management dal titolo “Public financial management for Sustainable Development Goals: Challenges, experiences and perspectives”.

Per informazioni di dettaglio sulla call si veda il seguente link

La contabilità accrual nelle Amministrazioni Pubbliche

Si porta a conoscenza dei soci che il giorno 15 settembre 2023 si svolgerà presso l’Università di Siena una Conferenza dal titolo “La contabilità accrual nelle
Amministrazioni Pubbliche”.

Per maggiori informazioni si veda il seguente link

Il ruolo critico dell’accountability nella gestione delle performance nel settore pubblico

The aim of the paper is to analyses the role of the accountability, i.e. the accountability of those who have worked to achieve the performance in question in their various aspects. In fact, a neutral concept of performance management, not anchored to that of responsibility, would not make much sense in the reality of organizations. Performance accountability is therefore an essential factor in both public and private organizations, although it should be emphasized that accountability as a concept is almost always anchored to the context of public organizations. In the public administrations, the essential function of accountability is substantiated above all in providing information to a wide category of subjects, consisting not only of politicians, who institutionally assume the role of controllers of public managers, but also by those who use public services utility and stakeholders. The main objective of the paper is to analyse how the accountability of performance in the public sector and its ability to highlight the public value created calls into question the role of the accounting tools that can be adopted for this purpose. In fact, while the legislator, aware of the critical role of accountability in the various public contexts, in recent years has introduced regulatory innovations that have impacted on the reporting methods for performance achieved in the public sphere, the need to “report” the performance achieved in the public sphere raises the need to implement tools capable of providing reliable evidence of the performance itself. In this regard, accounting constitutes a valid support for measuring and evaluating performance and for “accounting” to the various stakeholders.

KEYWORDS: Accountability, Public organizations, Value, Accounting

Il Comune di Milano e la gestione delle crisi del “caro pane”: un’analisi longitudinale 1860 – 1898

This study aims to shed light on how external and internal variables affect the anticipatory and coping ability of local governments in the management of exogenous crises. The case is interpreted through the lens of organizational resilience theory through the analysis of the actions taken by the administrators of the Milan City Council to anticipate and counteract periods of crisis due to soaring bread and flour prices in the period 1860-1898.The analysis is based on archival research using minutes of the City Council meetings and by triangulating data with statistics and literature as secondary sources. Comparison is also carried out between actions taken by other municipalities in the period analysed and as a response to the current inflation crisis in Europe. Findings show how local government’s coping decisions in the short term may be in contrast with decisions aimed at maintaining the organization’s financial condition in the long run and have important consequences on the capacity to prevent future social crises. The City Council abolished the excise duty on bread only after the dramatic riots of 1898. Riots occurred in the years before were underestimated by city councilors as they only tried to develop a better knowledge of the external environment; the political vision and priorities substantially procrastinated the decision to abolish the duties but linked them to the future tax reform. These findings are in line with recent delays occurred in Europe for the set-up of a price cap on the gas market, despite the current socio-political context is profoundly different from that of the period under consideration. The study contributes to the literature on accounting by exploring the factors that influence the use of financial and non-financial information during social crises and affect organizational resilience. From a practitioner’s point of view, it highlights how the City of Milan developed an early system of regulatory cost accounting to support bread price regulation.

KEYWORDS: organisational resilience, accounting history, local government

Revisore e sindaco: figure interscambiabili in ottica aziendale?

“Certain elements of Legislative Decree no. 14 of 12 January 2019 impact on different aspects of corporate governance and control system, providing the chance to improve the organization and its ability to create value through, among others, the appointment of a control body. In particular, this study takes the cue from the corporate governance model updates ex article 2477 c.c.. The article 2477 c.c. states that companies that i) are required to present the consolidated financial statements, or ii) control a company obliged to carry out the statutory audit, or iii) report some values over the defined thresholds for two consecutive years, must introduce a control body, choosing between the appointment of a board of statutory auditors / statutory auditor (collegio sindacale or sindaco unico) and an external auditor (company or individual). In this context, this paper intends to analyze the distinctions between the appointment of a statutory auditor and an external auditor that are control bodies with unlike aimsand hence differently able to indirectly impact on the value creation. After the above-mentioned comparison, the research proposes a quantitative study based on a sample of 1,108 Italian companies (s.r.l.) in order to empirical highlight the more significant and constructive role of the statutory auditors in improving firm performance. Various tests, like random effects and ordinary regressions, have been performed using data over a period of three years (2018-2020). Outcomes of the empirical analysis confirm a positive influence of the appointment of statutory auditors on firm results in terms of EBITDA/Revenues. In conclusion, regarding the appointment of a control body, this paper suggests to carefully assess the choice of the type (statutory auditor or external auditor), considering the differences of the roles and the impacts on corporate governance mechanism. In other words, it is useful to point out that the occasion provided by the law to review corporates’ governance and control system structure should be carried on strategically.”

KEYWORDS: corporate governance, board of statutory auditors, external auditor

Crisi e insolvenza nel Codice della crisi. Una sintesi ancora difficile tra visione aziendalistica e giuridico-normativa

Considering the definitive entry into force of Legislative Decree 12 January 2019, n. 14
(so-called “Crisis and Insolvency Code”), the paper aims to explore the definitions of “crisis” and “insolvency” as well as all their possible declinations. In effect, the latest Code of Crisis contemplates an almost unknown definitional apparatus, which deserves to be further explored from a more comprehensive multidisciplinary perspective. Moving from the crisis path according to the traditional vision of Italian Business Science, the article provides a critically review of the current regulatory framework, evaluating the suitability of the new procedures and instruments introduced for preventing and managing different manifestations of business crisis. Despite the breadth of academic contributions on the theme, the Business Science view has rarely been considered by the national legislator in defining the applicable regulation on business crises, giving rise to uncertainties and ambiguities on both definitional and operational levels. In fact, the normative solutions, which have been implemented over the time, tend to be ineffective in providing a coherent interpretation of the phenomenon under consideration. Surely, the persistence of relevant contradictions and divergences between the Business Science vision and the Legal one precludes offering an adequate characterisation of the complex and interrelated nature of business crises. Starting from these premises, the purpose of the present discussion is to promote growth-enhancing conditions for achieving wider convergence on the difficult conceptualisation of the topic investigated. In line with the stated aims and the methodological approach adopted, the first part of the study offers a theoretical framework of the topic, discussing the notion of crisis as traditionally established in the prevailing business economic literature. This is followed by an analytical examination of the controversial definitions of crisis and insolvency contemplated in the final version of Code of Crisis, highlighting the differences and similarities from the correspondent definitions included in the original version. Contextually, the normative definitions are explored
and commented through the theoretical lens of Business Science. The concluding part develops a critical reflection on the limits and contradictions of doctrinal elaboration in providing a conceptual reading of the phenomenon investigated consistent with its
practical implications, imagining possible paths for promoting a broader dialogue between the two scientific fields.

KEYWORDS: Insolvency, Likelihood of insolvency, early warnings, Directive on preventive restructuring frameworks, Crisis

Gli effetti delle caratteristiche dell’Audit Committee sulla performance ESG

In recent years, the attention of various stakeholders (primarily shareholders, credit institutions and regulatory authorities) towards corporate social responsibility is constantly growing. In line with agency, institutional and legitimacy theories, companies carry out internal control activities to detect any social and environmental problems. The characteristics of the Audit Committee are commonly considered levers able to: make the supervision of company activities more efficient, balance the objectives of managers and stakeholders and, especially in recent years, improve ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) performance. This study analyses the effects of some characteristics of the Audit Committee’members (independence, tenure and expertise) on non-financial performance (ESG performance). In this context, considering the Non-Financial Directive (Directive 2014/95/EU) the study has assessed through the ESG performance of the companies listed on the main European stock exchanges in the period 2017 – 2020. Both the ESG performance values and the Audit Committee characteristics are collected through the Refinitiv Workspace database and analysed by ordinary least squares (OLS) panel regression analysis. Our results support the hypotheses that AC independence and AC
expertise are positively and significantly related to ESG performance while the AC tenure represents an attribute that negatively affects ESG scores. The study offers both theoretical and practical implications capable of improving the approach to non-financial reporting and also helps to strengthen the debate on the relevance of the characteristics of the Audit Committee with respect to ESG performance. In particular, corporate decision makers can improve the legitimacy of their business operations by establishing independent, highly expertised ACs that promote disclosure of ESG information. Similarly, enhanced ESG disclosure can also mitigate agency conflict by reducing the information gap between corporate managers and shareholders. We finally provide relevant theoretical and practical implications to improve ESG reporting quality and quantity by using robust and self-regulating internal control systems. Specifically, our analysis has policy implications as well, as it adds to the ongoing debate on the impact of the AC’s monitoring activities on ESG engagement and ESG scores and their influence on the risk measurement and disclosure. In addition, this paper provides managers with better understanding of the complex relationships among the Audit Committee quality and non-financial performance. Consequently, they make better decisions on the proportion of independent and expert members in the Audit Committee, so that they can achieve more improved ESG performance.

KEYWORDS: ESG, Audit Committee, Non Financial Performance

La reporting entity nell’armonizzazione contabile delle amministrazioni pubbliche italiane: criticità e proposte

“The reform and harmonization of the accounting systems of Italian public administrations highlight the need to identify individual reporting entities – those entities that will be required by the legislative to publish financial statements compliant with the Italian  Accounting Standards (ITAS), currently under development. The article provides a theoretical discussion of the public sector reporting entity – a fundamentally new concept to the Italian accounting doctrine. The study is also meant to provide a timely contribution to the debate on a key of the accrual accounting reform included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). To this aim, the study follows an interdisciplinary-comparative approach. First, the article analyzes the definitions of reporting entity developed by the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board and some major national standard setters. At an international level, the reporting entity is understood as an entity that prepares General Purpose Financial Reports (GPFR) that are useful to users that are dependent on GPFR of the entity for accountability and decision-making purposes. Next, the article examines what relationship, if any, exists between the international accounting definition of reporting entity and the concept of ‘institutional unit’ – the basic economic unit that populates national accounts. The analysis shows only partial overlap between the two notions, that suggests caution in identifying public sector reporting entities on the basis of the list of institutional units included in the ‘General Government Sector’ of national  accounts. Furtherly, the study brings into consideration the different notions of ‘autonomy’ from administrative law. In particular, the notion of financial autonomy proves to be a potentially useful concept to distinguish reporting entities among those entities falling within the boundary of the accrual accounting reform. As a result, the article identifies five basic elements to a definition of public sector reporting entity. The proposed definition is meant to be compliant with the international accounting notion of reporting entity as well as suitable to the institutional context of the Italian accounting reform. The proposal may assist policy-makers and the legislature in defining the characteristics of the public sector reporting entities under ITAS”.

KEYWORDS: armonizzazione, contabilità economico-patrimoniale, contabilità nazionale, autonomia di bilancio, reporting entity

Editoriale 01/2023

Call for Chapters: Game-Based Education Approaches to Inclusive Business Management

Si porta a conoscenza dei soci la call for chapters dal titolo “Game-Based Education Approaches to Inclusive Business Management”. Editors del volume sono:

Giuseppe Modarelli, University of Turin, Italy
Christian Rainero, University of Turin, Italy
Stefano Amelio, University of Insubria, Italy

Per maggiori informazioni si veda il presente link

Le crisi finanziarie negli enti locali. Un’analisi comparativa internazionale: lezioni da apprendere o da insegnare?

Le crisi finanziarie degli enti locali rappresentano un tema che ha da sempre acceso ampi e controversi dibattiti: nella comunità scientifica, tra gli amministratori locali, e in ambito politico. La continua e progressiva evoluzione degli strumenti per la loro composizione non ha impedito, purtroppo, il reiterarsi di situazioni di criticità finanziaria, inducendo il legislatore a interventi “speciali” o “straordinari” quali decreti “salva Comuni”, e “patti per la città”. Appare così necessario una riorganizzazione complessiva e sistematica della normativa e, in questo senso, un ulteriore contributo utile potrebbe essere fornito da una prospettiva di analisi comparativa tra il vigente ordinamento italiano e le misure previste in altri Paesi.

Keywords: dissesto finanziario, riequilibrio finanziario pluriennale, enti locali

Valutazione partecipativa della performance: stato dell’arte in letteratura e prospettive evolutive

Il presente studio intende approfondire le conseguenze applicative delle innovazioni normative introdotte recentemente in Italia sulla valutazione partecipativa (VP) della performance organizzativa pubblica, stanti le criticità delle pp.aa. nel cogliere la distinzione tra “rilevazione della soddisfazione di” ed effettiva “partecipazione a”, nonché nel riconoscere a detta valutazione una funzione di ridefinizione della fase pianificatoria. Mediante una revisione della letteratura sulla valutazione pubblica aperta e partecipata, intervenuta – a livello nazionale e internazionale – dal 1990 ai giorni nostri, vengono individuati focus, gap e prospettive evolutive di VP. La revisione è condotta ricorrendo ai protocolli della systematic e della structured literature review, e integrata da un’analisi qualitativa dei testi realizzata con l’ausilio dei programmi Voyant Tools e VOSviewer.

Keywords: valutazione, partecipazione, pubblica amministrazione

Performance management e razionalità limitata: evidenze sperimentali nelle aziende sanitarie pubbliche

Il presente studio combina principi delle scienze comportamentali con metodi di ricerca speri-mentali al !ne di investigare l’impatto di alcune trappole cognitive nel contesto del performance management pubblico. I risultati di sette test sperimentali randomizzati, che hanno coinvolto 14,392 dipendenti di aziende sanitarie pubbliche, forniscono supporto a tre ipotesi di ricerca. Il framing positivo di un’informazione di performance induce i professionisti pubblici a formulare un giudizio di valutazione migliore rispetto ad un framing negativo della medesima informazione. L’ancoraggio ad un valore preimpostato più alto determina una valutazione della performance migliore rispetto all’ancoraggio ad un valore preimpostato più basso. Date due opzioni di acquisto – A e B – l’introduzione di una opzione esca C, univocamente inferiore all’opzione A ma non all’opzione B, causa un aumento della probabilità che i professionisti pubblici scelgano l’acquisto dell’opzione dominante A. Si discutono le implicazioni di tali risultati per l’avanzamento dell’economia aziendale comportamentale.

Keywords: performance management pubblico, razionalità limitata, gestione delle risorse

La “Public Value Collaborative Governance” della Filiera della Mobilità Sostenibile

La Mobilità Sostenibile è uno dei temi centrali all’interno del PNRR. La valutazione del succes-so dei progetti collegati al PNRR non può prescindere dalla misurazione del Valore Pubblico creato. La governance di tali progetti richiede un necessario ripensamento delle modalità di collaborazione tra le pubbliche amministrazioni nei diversi livelli di governo. A tal !ne, il lavoro presenta l’applicazione di un innovativo modello di “Public Value Collaborative Governance” funzionale al governo della !liera della Mobilità Sostenibile. La rilevanza delle componenti del modello viene indagata attraverso un’indagine che coinvolge gli esperti della !liera in esame. Il caso analizzato include tre Ministeri, la Regione Emilia-Romagna e i suoi comuni con oltre 50 mila abitanti.

Keywords: mobilità sostenibile, governance, valore pubblico

Editoriale 01_2023

Risultati questionario SIDREA: Commenti a testo libero SITO WEB

Si porta a conoscenza dei soci i risultati del questionario SIDREA relativamente al sito.

Per maggiori informazioni si veda il seguente file

Borse di studio SIDREA per partecipazione Doctoral Colloquium dell’EAA e Doctoral Consortium dell’AAA

Si porta a conoscenza dei soci che è stato pubblicato il bando per l’attribuzione di 2 borse di studio per la partecipazione al Doctoral Colloquium dell’EAA Annual Congress 2024 e 2 borse di studio per la partecipazione ad un Doctoral Consortium dell’AAA.

Per maggiori informazioni si veda il file del bando al seguente link

Scuola di Metodologia della Ricerca 2023

Si porta a conoscenza dei soci che è stato pubblicato il programma della Scuola di Metodologia della Ricerca, coordinata scientificamente dal Prof. Marcantonio Ruisi, che si svolgerà a Palermo dal 20 al 23 ottobre 2023.

Per maggiori informazioni si veda il seguente link

Special Issue Management Decision Call for papers: “Governance, Accountability, and Sustainable Development Goals”

Si porta a conoscenza dei soci la pubblicazione della Call for papers per lo Special Issue della rivista Management Decision dal titolo: “Governance, Accountability, and Sustainable Development Goals” curato da Pasquale Massimo Picone, Sonia Quarchioni, Cristina Leone.

Per maggiori informazioni si veda il seguente link

L’implementazione di tecnologie 4.0 nelle piccole imprese: analisi di un caso di successo

The implementation of 4.0 technologies in small businesses: A success story analysis

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) represents a broad research topic that has been studied by scholars from multiple perspectives. Many fewer studies have investigated how I4.0 investment initiatives are developed in small companies and how they affect on organization and control mechanisms. Given their peculiarities, small companies are interested in this kind of research OR interested for this kind of research. Due to their intense involvement in the core operations and the resulting concentration of decision-making, founders and owners typically hold a dominant position in small businesses. By using an interpretive case study, we find evidence that the digitalization of operating processes as a result of I4.0 initiatives acts as a stimulus for the development of a set of organizational competencies as well as of some learning processes that, in turn, result in improved managerial models characterized by shared responsibilities and information-based decision making. This evidence is consistent with the postulates of the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities view. The stages of the investment process, the difficulties faced in the implementation of I4.0 technologies, and the benefits obtained by a small family firm both in company management and in operational processes are explored in the paper. The business case makes it possible to demonstrate how organizational and individual growth brought on by I4.0 digitization supports companies in the improvement of the business idea and the consequent capacity to generate strategic value over time.

Keywords:  Industry 4.0, Resource-Based view, Dynamic-Capabilities view, Digitization, Management control, Small companies

Simons levers of control disentangled: A quasi experiment into the competitiveness of hybrid firms

Controls are used to ensure “that resources are obtained and used efficiently and effectively to achieve the organization’s objective” (Merchant and Otley, 2007, p. 788). Hybrid workplaces, which include flexible work arrangements like working from home, working outside of regular business hours, having flexible work hours, etc. (Stirpe and Zarraga-Oberty, 2017), are characterized by spatial and/or temporal separation. This presents control challenges because controlling requires that employee behaviour be in line with the company’s goals (Snell 1992). Strict controls signal a compromise on trust (Christ et al., 2008), and loose controls dilute subordinates getting strong and clear directives (Long, 2010). Through a quasi-experiment utilizing the theoretical underpinning of Simon’s levers of control (1995, 2000), this study explores the types of controls which enable hybrid firm’s competitiveness. According to Widener (2007), the levers both individually and collectively drive firm-level knowledge production and attention direction, and because they interact with one another, their effects are intricately entangled. This entanglement causes tension for organizational actors, who are largely interested in knowing which types of controls are effective in the hybrid firm’s context and how these controls relate to each other.  The results of the experiment identify that the best possible combination to enable hybrid firm competitiveness is ‘High IC and High DC’. The findings establish a significant role of high IC and high DC, in ensuring hybrid firm competitiveness.

Keywords: Simons levers of control (LOC), Competitiveness, Management controls, Quasi-experiment, Hybrid firms

Il contributo di Management Control alla ricerca su tecnologie digitali e sostenibilità

The contribution of Management Control journal to research on digital technologies and sustainability

Sustainability and digitization are recognized as crucial issues in the contemporary era. Sustainability serves as a guiding paradigm for defining corporate missions and formulating strategies to achieve economic, social, and environmental objectives. Simultaneously, the advent of digital technologies has immersed companies in an interconnected and pervasive environment, necessitating meticulous management, organization, evaluation, and risk assessment. Companies increasingly acknowledge the interdependence between sustainability and technological development. Implementing digital technology can expedite the transition to sustainability, while embracing sustainability principles requires assessment of the long-term impacts of digital transformation. While studies in business administration and management focus on both sustainability and technological innovation, their intersection is still in its nascent stage. This article aims to analyze the contribution of Management Control to the national and international scientific discourse on sustainability and digitization. Additionally, it proposes a research agenda for future publications in the journal, consolidating its position in the broad field of planning and control systems. A systematic literature review was conducted, considering the articles on sustainability and technology issues published in the Management Control journal. The article provides an overview of the studies on technology, sustainability, and their combined effects, concluding with concise observations and a synthesis of the contributions included in this volume.

Keywords: Management Control, Information and communication technologies, Digital technologies, Sustainability

MC2023.2_0_MANCINI_Appendice

“Radicare” la sostenibilità nella strategia attraverso i sistemi di management control: un caso di studio relativo ad una Pmi

“Rooting” sustainability into strategy through management control systems: a case study relating to an SME

We adopt the framework of Gond et al. (2012) to explore the role of control systems in promoting the integration of sustainability within the strategies of a SME. The study responds to requests for more investigation on the transition processes towards sustainability by SMEs. While the literature on the social responsibility of SMEs is well developed, there are very few studies that address the connections between control systems and sustainability. Thus, the study is based on a longitudinal case study of an Italian SME that operates in a field like pellets that are particularly sensitive to environmental challenges. The results show that the integration between control systems has had positive effects. Specifically, cognitive enabling factors, the interactive use of Sustainable Control Systems and sustainability strategies, mutually reinforcing each other, have contributed to making the integrated sustainability strategy stable even in the presence of adverse external conditions. From a more theoretical point of view, the paper responds to requests to carry out more studies not only on the drivers and motivations to adopt sustainable strategies but also on the role played by the internal management accounting and control processes in implementing them.

Keywords Control systems, Sustainability, SME, Case study, Social and environmental accounting

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