Federico Cosenz

Università degli Studi di Palermo | UNIPA · Dipartimento di Studi Europei e della Integrazione Internazionale. Diritti, Economia, Management, Storia, Lingue e Culture (D.E.M.S.)

Background: Dropout in higher education is a socio-educational phenomenon that has the scope to limit the benefits of education as well as to widen social disparities. For this reason, governments have implemented various public policies for its prevention and mitigation. However, in rural populations, such policies have proven to be ineffective. T...

Despite the progress made by scholars, empirically investigating entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) remains problematic because of the inherent complexities and nonlinearities of interactions among EE actors. The research to date has shown a tendency to focus on macrolevel ecosystem dynamics while neglecting the microfoundations of EEs. We contend th...

Creating an innovative product and validating an innovative business model may not be enough for digital startups to be competitive. To grow fast and expand globally, digital startups need to innovate their business model during the scaling phase. A pragmatic approach has recently been proposed to support digital entrepreneurs engaging in business-...

Purpose Public health strategies and activities are intrinsically complex. According to the literature, this “wickedness” depends on the different interests and expectations of the stakeholders and the community, the fragmented governance of the related services and the challenges in measuring and assessing public health outcomes. Existent performa...

Business model innovation can be a key driver to realizing the transformation needed to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the same time, the SDGs can support organizations as they identify and tackle opportunities for business model innovation. This study uses a constructive research method to build a managerial ap...

Global competitiveness and economic and social growth are driven worldwide by knowledge and innovation (De Witte & López-Torres, 2017; Hughes & Kitson, 2012; Salmi, 2009). In this context, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a crucial role as they primarily contribute to knowledge transfer and development and, as a result, foster regional dev...

In recent years, the literature on Higher Education policy and management emphasized an increasingly entrepreneurial role played by Universities in contributing to the socioeconomic development of their regional and local areas. Besides Education and Research, this crucial role identifies a Third Mission to be fulfilled by Higher Education Institut...

Chapter 2 focused on the design of PM systems calibrated on the peculiarities and requirements characterizing HEI organizational settings. According to a sustainable development perspective, the proposed logic and mechanisms have revolved around the concept of “academic performance” as a critical element on which to develop strategic planning and p...

HEIs are currently undergoing major challenges as their role in society changes constantly. To adequately take on these challenges and benefit from possible opportunities related to such a changing role, innovative and more comprehensive approaches to University management are required (Bianchi & Caperchione, 2022). As previously described, managin...

Based on recent reforms and institutional changes globally introduced in the HE sector, the design and use of PM systems tailored to the University organizational settings have become quite challenging (Lapsley & Miller, 2004). However, although a shared belief in University management to evolve, PM systems are still rarely adopted. These systems a...

In the contemporary complex and fast-changing markets, there is persistent pressure for Small-and-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to engage in business model innovation to promptly meet customer expectations and successfully compete for survival. In the last decade, multiple approaches to business model development and innovation have been explored. Howe...

Lean Thinking is an operation management discipline which aims to identify, map and analyse the activities forming a process to detect "value waste" and outline the most effective flow of activities to execute in sequence. Process mapping is often developed in lean projects through the use of the Value Stream Map (VSM). Like many other management t...

During the last 10 years Brazil has accelerated the incorporation of new wind capacity into its power matrix. This situation has generated the need for increased transport capacity. However, there have been delays in the planning process for new transmission line construction, thus inducing trapped electricity in the system; in other words, electri...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to experiment a dynamic performance management (DPM) approach to explore and assess the business dynamics of digital ride-hailing platforms with a focus on both supply and demand sides, and related interplays. Design/methodology/approach The research adopts the DPM framework supported by simulation-based experi...

As the use of renewable energy is growing worldwide, the wind industry is being endorsed as a promising source for clean energy supply. In this context, the strategic management of the supply chain is fundamental to pursue a steady expansion of renewable energy. However, the fragmentation between energy policy design and implementation has been con...

Natural gas has been used globally as a transitional fuel for supporting a green-energy-supply strategy, which has been questioned for the intermittence and lack of reliability of renewables. This paper proposes a System Dynamics model for assessing alternative security of supply policy along the natural gas value chain. The model incorporates dema...

The purpose of this research is to offer an assessment framework to validate multisided platform business models. For this aim, we propose a systemic perspective based on the dynamic performance management approach. This approach is particularly effective to make explicit the net of relationships between internal and external strategic resources, t...

In the last decade, business models for sustainability have gained increasing attraction by corporate sustainability scholars with international conferences and scientific journals encouraging the development of the debate on their design, use and innovation processes. Capitalizing on the basic principles, requirements, and methodological limitatio...

Despite a growing sense of urgency, the deployment of clean technologies has been affected by fragmentation of energy policy design and implementation. In some case, wicked policy issues around renewable energy infrastructure have delayed or even halted the uptake of renewables. To find possible answer to consistent policy design that involves publ...

Business model innovation can be a key element for realizing the transformation needed to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals. However, literature on Sustainable Business Models still lacks quantitative-oriented approaches and tools supporting the implementation and assessment of business model innovations for sustainability. This study pr...

The rapid growth of the wind industry in Brazil presents new opportunities and challenges for its electricity industry. As new capacity becomes available, more transmission infrastructure is required for security of supply. The Brazilian electricity system has experienced congestion in the northeast region, affecting the coordinated expansion of tr...

The design of business models for sustainability has gained increased attention recently. A common understanding of the principles and requirements for the development sustainability-oriented business model is sought. Literature has endeavoured into a profound analysis of design tools for business models. Results show methodological gaps that could...

Natural gas is considered the transitional fuel for excellence between fossil and renewable sources, considering its low cost, greater efficiency and lesser effects on the environment. This has led to increased demand levels worldwide, requiring the intervention of public and private actors to meet such demand. In this research, we study the natura...

Natural gas is considered the transitional fuel par excellence between fossil and renewable sources, considering its low cost, greater efficiency and lesser impact on the environment. This is the reason why its demand levels have increased worldwide, requiring intervention of public and private stakeholders in order to meet these increments. The pa...

Entrepreneurial learning is a critical process in realizing the success or failure of a new business venture, as it implies that would-be entrepreneurs acquire those strategic management competencies required to start and manage a new business. Actually, statistics on start-up survival/failure rate reveal that the main reasons for failure are relat...

High dependency on hydroelectricity has revealed drawbacks in the security of power supplies as a consequence of the climate variability in South America. Under these conditions, Brazil is starting to consider alternative renewable sources for energy production, seeking to avoid periods of scarcity while also promoting clean technologies in its ele...

The reduction in Caesarean sections (CSs) is widely considered a priority in the public decision makers agenda. Though the World Health Organisation has strongly encouraged countries to implement policies to reduce CSs to 10–15%, after almost thirty years this goal appears still far from its achievement. The literature depicts CS as a multifaceted...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to frame the potential benefits of lean dynamic performance management (PM) systems for small and micro-enterprises. Such systems may exploit the entrepreneur’s tacit knowledge and build on managerial competencies, by incorporating individual attributes into organisational routines. Design/methodology/approach...

Though it draws a number of precursors, simulation-based techniques applied to traditional performance management frameworks constitute a novel approach to support public sector institutions in framing organizational performance dynamics and, as a result, improving public service delivery. This paper aims at contributing to the improvement of the o...

Business Modelling has evolved as a key activity to reflect new business venture strategy by framing the way a firm will operate and how it will function in achieving its goals (e.g., profitability, growth, innovation, social impact). However, scholars and practitioners have criticized the adoption of a too static perspective in the design and use...

The recent introduction of the “standard cost per regular student”, as a criterion adopted by the Italian Ministry of Education to measure public university performance, implies a deep afterthought of those methods underlying the design of performance management and measurement systems in Italian universities. This has also to be extended – through...

Partendo dallo stato dell’arte della letteratura sul tema e focalizzandosi sulle imprese in fase di start-up, questo studio suggerisce l’integrazione tra i tradizionali strumenti di business modelling con la metodologia System Dynamics al fine di superare le principali limitazioni legate alla “visione statica” degli attuali modelli di business. Att...

Business planning is a fundamental activity that start-up entrepreneurs are called to carry out in order to attract new investors, business angels, and venture capitalists, to subsidize a new business idea. The key-tool universally used to communicate a new venture strategy to these players, as well as to other stakeholders, is the business plan, i...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore business dynamics of a rising ride-hailing service industry through case study and foster understanding of hypothetical feedback effects within the broader system. Design/methodology/approach – The research adopts the dynamic performance management framework with simulation-based methodology for dev...

In this paper we argue that the use of System Dynamics modelling applied to Business Model design and representation may result in an entrepreneurial learning approach to support potential entrepreneurs in exploring and learn how a business operates and reacts according to alternative strategic choices. As such, a Dynamic Business Modelling approac...

The World Health Organization since the last three decades strongly encourages countries to reduce the caesarean section (CS) rate down to 10–15%. However, this goal nowadays appears still far from its achievement. Public decision-makers are indeed struggling to design and implement effective policies to reduce the CS rate. The literature provides...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how System Dynamics modelling can provide a methodological support to business model design with the intent to better communicate business strategy and manage performance. Design/methodology/approach After a literature review of the field and an analysis of the strengths and limitations of conventiona...

Brazil is rich in renewable sources that can be used for energy generation. The renewable source of energy generation predominantly in Brazil is hydropower. However, the availability of hydropower depends on the useful volume reserves, which is subject to rainfall. Consequently, wind power is a renewable source that is being integrated into the ele...

Da tre decenni l’Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità considera appropriata una percentuale di cesarei tra il 10-15%. Tuttavia, molti paesi tuttora si trovano a fronteggiare valori molto più elevati e le politiche adottate dai decisori pubblici spesso mostrano di essere poco efficaci. Il presente lavoro prende avvio dall’analisi del percorso nascit...

Climate variability has been the main driver for renewables in the Brazilian electricity market. This article analyzes the vulnerabilities of the dependence on hydropower in renewable energy production due to climate variation, as well as wind power penetration in Brazil, given a set of wind industry policies. Despite Brazilian renewable energy inc...

System dynamics (SD) has been proved to be a useful methodology to support both understanding and learning processes of complex systems and phenomena. Since its origin, SD has been successfully applied to many different fields of studies (e.g. climate change, physics, engineering, environmental sciences, economics, management, etc.). Among these, s...

Climate variability has been the main driver for renewables in the Brazilian electricity market. This article analyzes the vulnerabilities of the dependence on hydropower in renewable energy production due to climate variation, as well as wind power penetration in Brazil, given a set of wind industry policies. Despite Brazilian renewable energy inc...

In the new global economy, renewable energy has become a central issue for the competitive. Renewables are the main source of the Brazilian electricity generation sector. This article analyzes the vulnerabilities of hydropower generation and wind power penetration in Brazil. The study presents the results obtained from preliminary analyses of renew...

Traditional management control systems, mainly centred on accounting-based measures, are widely recognized as useful tools to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) managers and entrepreneurs in steering business development. However, due to the increasing turbulence and dynamic complexity that characterize today’s competitive arenas, such sys...

The role of Performance Management (PM) systems has become crucial for steering Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to successfully compete during the ongoing critical economic transition. To improve decision-maker strategic learning processes, traditional PM frameworks need to be combined with System Dynamics (SD) modelling. This paper shows how to de...

L’introduzione della contabilità economico-patrimoniale nel sistema universitario italiano – imposta dalle recenti disposizioni normative – pone oggi diverse sfide di carattere metodologico, culturale, organizzativo e tecnico, agli studiosi delle discipline economico-aziendali. Il presente studio è finalizzato alla progettazione e analisi di un mod...

Corruption is a multifaceted socio-economic phenomenon widely spread – although with different intensity – all around the world. Many studies on corruption have been conducted at a country-level, but relatively little effort has been placed in evaluating its implications, in terms of both financial and competitive performance, at a firm-level. Ther...

This article illustrates how to design and apply Performance Management systems in academic institutions by identifying and modeling those factors affecting academic performance through a dynamic performance management view. Particularly, combining performance management with System Dynamics modeling may allow academic decision-makers to better ide...

This paper frames the potential benefits of ‘lean’ and dynamic performance management (PM) systems for small and micro enterprises. In this context, the ‘lean’ attribute is used to characterize a different approach in applying PM to small firms, in respect to larger organizations. In fact, such systems may exploit the entrepreneur’s tacit knowledge...

This chapter studies companies which are arguably business super-heroes – the small firms which despite the apparent handicap of very limited resources are able to compete against much larger, multinational firms – the micro-giants Davids that take on Goliaths. Through a process of detailed case studies of actual firms, analysis of asset structure,...

In the last decade, European academic institutions have been affected by significant reforms aimed to improve their own performance levels. The reason for these reforms has been inspired by various factors, such as budgetary restrictions imposed by National Governments and the "marketisation" of the Higher Education sector. This has led European un...

This paper illustrates how to design and implement performance management systems in universities by identifying and modeling those factors impacting on academic performance through a dynamic performance management view. Particularly, combining performance management with System Dynamics modeling may allow academic decision-makers to better identif...

The role of Performance Management (PM) systems has become crucial for steering Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to successfully compete during the ongoing critical economic transition. To improve decision-maker strategic learning processes, traditional PM frameworks need to be combined with System Dynamics (SD) modeling. This paper shows how to des...

In the past two decades the Italian academic system has been affected by a number of law reforms, aiming at fostering an improvement of University performance, through the introduction of a set of parameters, based on which public funds are allocated. Such policy has only partially achieved successful results. In fact, several problems have arisen...

Building on earlier work on abnormal SME growth trajectories, this paper investigates to what extent the analysis can be extended to the study of an unusual but “normal” growth pattern. The detailed case histories of two firms which might be called micro-giants are presented. These are companies that would be categorised as small firms but are actu...

Some small firms compete in markets against major multi-national firms and face the daunting challenge of having to develop sustainable strategies for building and maintaining relative competitiveness against much bigger firms. Such firms do not enjoy the benefits that size brings – they are Davids taking on Goliaths, and we have styled them "micro...

Previous research has identified two forms of "abnormal" growth – styled as business dwarfism and gigantism -which can both lead to missed opportunities for owners/entrepreneurs and local economies, and even to business crisis and collapse. It has also shown that stunted and inflated growth phenomena, rather than being characterised by completely d...

This paper tries to analyse the effects of political clientelism on the performance of public utilities and organizations in Italy. Shortly, clientelism consists in a series of reciprocal convenience-based relationships between politicians and individuals, commanding unequal resources and involving mutually beneficial transactions in terms of econo...