Paola Castellani

Purpose: This study identifies the themes that consumers associate with attitudes towards, and intentions to purchase, cultured meat. It also examines the relationships between these themes and the drivers of innovation according to the diffusion of innovations theory proposed by Rogers. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was used to collect information from 256 participants. A specific type of content analysis, “cognitive analysis,” was performed on this information using Leximancer, which supports visually oriented sense-making. Findings: The analysis revealed a variety of themes associated with attitudes towards, and intentions to purchase, cultured meat. Moreover, the diffusion of innovations theory emerged as a valuable framework for organising these themes around the five attributes of innovation: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability. Research limitations/implications: This study examined the consumer perspective, but the acceptance and commercialisation of cultured meat will also depend on the attitudes and behaviours of several other actors (e.g. farmers), which need to be studied. Originality/value: This study contributes to addressing several research priorities highlighted in recent literature on the consumer acceptance of cultured meat, including the need to conduct more qualitative studies and to apply the diffusion of innovations framework.

The paper aims to investigate the characteristics of SMEs’ partners that can better contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. Given the explorative nature of this research, a qualitative methodology is adopted, with a longitudinal case study employed as the research method. The Wråd case study confirmed that SMEs can contribute to the achievement of the SDGs by developing partnerships with multiple stakeholders. In addition, this research revealed that the characteristics of the SMEs’ partners can be referred to the four following dimensions: economic, environmental, social and purpose. Furthermore, it proposed that quality utility value, technique level, profitability are the subdimensions of the economic dimension and that resource consumption efficiency, pollution production, energy efficiency, environment management system and environment equipment and facilities are the subdimensions of the environmental dimension. This research expressed also that public health, employee engagement, brand reputation and local communities’ influence are the subdimensions of the social dimension. Finally, it underlined that sustainability-oriented awareness development, sustainable orientation, sustainable collective culture, proactive managerial skills, organisational learning and proactive and innovative leadership are the subdimensions of the purpose dimension. In line with previous studies underlining the importance of increasing the TBL dimensions, this study suggests a further extension of this theory with the ‘purpose’ dimension. This study highlights the importance of developing a vision supported by a social awareness of the problems that need to be addressed and that transcend the fashion sector. Further researches could explore a larger sample of SMEs operating in different businesses and the point of view of the SME’s partners.

One of the most important challenges for social venture entrepreneurs is acquiring resources. Reward crowdfunding is considered a suitable tool for meeting the financing needs of social ventures, whose backers are particularly interested in firm ideas and core values rather than in collaterals or business plans. A strategic factor that is able to influence the outcome of crowdfunding campaigns is the entrepreneurial narrative. Very few scholars have examined the key factors that support a crowdfunding campaign, particularly those on reward-based crowdfunding platforms, and the effects of entrepreneurial narratives on investors’ decisions. Aiming to fill this research gap, this paper investigates how entrepreneurs in the technology industry describe their social ventures and projects on Eppela, an Italian reward-based crowdfunding platform. Thematic analysis was applied to detect the five following key factors of effective entrepreneurial narratives in reward-based crowdfunding campaigns for social ventures: 1) problem/need; 2) project; 3) product; 4) team; and 5) venture. Each key factor includes specific subfactors. Lexical data analysis was then performed to identify the following expected effects of the examined entrepreneurial narratives on potential investors, leading these investors to understand, trust, and approve the project proposal, and thus, finance the social venture’s project: 1) reassurance, 2) reliability, and 3) credibility. Based on these results, this study proposes an explanatory model about how to design effective entrepreneurial narratives to be presented to contribute as much as possible to the success of projects in crowdfunding platforms.

Purpose: This paper aims to answer the call for greater humanization of the corporation, introducing aphorisms as a new tool for developing management awareness, creativity, and multiple-perspective mind-set. Design/methodology/approach: The paper elaborates on a theoretical base to suggest a new tool for management development. Findings: A firm is not only a technical system but rather a community of people, and due to increasing environmental complexity, humanities can provide managers with great help. In this line of thought, aphorisms are an under-considered literary genre that can prove helpful in humanizing the corporation. Practical implications: Aphorisms can assist management in several ways: they help to understand what the organization stands for and to focus organizational values; they contribute to define corporate identity to people inside and outside the organization; they favor open-minded examination of problems from multiple perspectives, giving way to unexpected possibilities; and they generate critical dialogue within the management team about strategic decisions. Originality/value: Although several arts and disciplines have already been considered in management literature, as far as the authors know, this is the first paper attempting to introduce aphorisms in the management toolbox.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss an unconventional approach for developing organizational learning inside companies. The subject of this paper is the interactive mode of organizational learning – involving shared understanding and sense-making – which has proven useful in the current turbulent era and complex competitive environment. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on an inductive and phenomenon-driven approach. The data collection method consists of interviews with involves informants. The empirical context of the research is Open Factory – the largest open-door event for industrial manufacturing in Italy. Findings: Companies participating in Open Factory gained several benefits in terms of interactive learning. In particular, intra-organizational knowledge sharing, staff motivation, and more focused organizational identity were reported as the most relevant advantages. Practical implications: Companies eager to enhance their interactive mode of organizational learning should seriously consider taking part in events such as Open Factory or should strive to create a similar event. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to describe and analyze open-door events for manufacturing companies as a source of organizational learning.