Sintesi del percorso di ricerca intrapreso dal gruppo di lavoro SIDREA su Governance e Controlli Interni, volto a favorire il confronto in merito alle tendenze di integrazione del sistema dei controlli aziendali, contemperando anche le neglette esigenze delle imprese non grandi. [Testo dell'editore]
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of intellectual capital (IC) on the reputation and performance of Italian companies.Design/methodology/approachThe paper exploits a unique data set of 452 non-listed companies that obtained a reputational assessment from the Italian Competition Authority (ICA). To test the hypotheses, this study implemented several regression analyses.FindingsResults support the argument that human capital efficiency is a key driver of corporate reputation. Findings also reveal that companies, which obtained reputational rating under ICA scrutiny, show a positive relationship between IC elements and various measures of financial performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focuses on a single country; it is not free from the imprecisions of Pulic's VAIC model.Practical implicationsThis paper recommends companies that are interested to achieve a robust reputation should consider the human capital as a strategic intangible asset. Second, the results suggest that companies with an ICA reputational rating are able to leverage their intangibles to potentiate performance and competitiveness.Originality/valueThis is the first empirical investigation on the contribution of IC in generating value for corporate reputation. Additionally, the study contributes to the literature on the link between IC and performance by examining a sample of firms not yet explored in prior research.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to deepen the countervailing relationship between control and innovation in knowledge-intensive complex organizations. It adopts a middle range theory perspective (Broadbent and Laughlin, 2013) to explore how control systems and innovation dynamics interact and shape each other in the contexts of high complexity and intensive knowledge creation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs single case study of a research-intensive biotech network located in Southern Italy, focusing on the change in the management accounting practices fostered by evolving environmental conditions and regulations that the network has faced in recent years.FindingsThe paper finds out how successful organizational changes are facilitated by the implementation of innovative control devices, favoring informal collaborative relationships, which in turn contribute to further innovate and to share knowledge and capabilities within the organization.Practical implicationsThe findings are relevant to all organizations involved in complex processes of co-production of knowledge and innovation. They allow for unpacking the "black box" of the interplay between innovation and control, which is becoming increasingly central to these organizations and to policy makers.Originality/valueThe value of the study lies in its ability to depict how contrasting and molding forces in control systems and innovation dynamics contribute to re-shape a complex organizational setting. The study offers a newer perspective of analysis to interpret the role of control systems in innovative networks, thus contributing to the growing academic debate on the antecedents and facilitators of knowledge sharing and knowledge integration.
Institutional differences across countries present special challenges to achieve uniformity or at least harmony in financial reporting across countries. We evaluate in this paper how accounting traditions, ownership and governance structures of Italian companies affect implementation of the European Union mandated International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by Italian companies. This evaluation will enable investors, especially international investors, to have a better understanding of financial reporting by Italian companies and it will also highlight the problems and issues facing Italian companies to implement IFRS.
