Un crocevia di distretti: la realtŕ economica della provincia di Lucca

2012 ◽  
pp. 157-188
Author(s):  
Giulia Bianchi
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
International Markets ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Production Cycle ◽  
Italian Economy ◽  
Production Scale ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
Economic Transformations ◽  
Oil Crisis ◽  
The Impact

Interest in the «district» form arose, in Italy, in the context of the debate on the role of small businesses in the Italian and international economy, and intensified during the decade from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, when the increasing efficiency of new types of industrialization began to make itself felt. Attention focused on the industrial district as an organizational model of systems characterized by numerous local small and medium-sized businesses capable of offsetting the disadvantage of the smaller production scale by developing a system of external economies. Such businesses were thus able to manage complex processes of decomposition/integration of the production cycle through units specialized in individual stages of production within a social context that could absorb the impact of pronounced division of labour. The potential of the district prompted observers not only to endeavour to identify industrial districts within the Italian economic system, but also to analyse their functioning in order to determine their characteristics in terms of efficiency and competitiveness on local, domestic and international markets. This paper, set within the above-described perspective, aims to analyse the Tuscan district system as an example of a flexible and lean specialisation, with particular reference to the Province of Lucca, taking into account the background of change, evolution and downturns that influenced the Italian economy from the first oil crisis (1973) up to the Treaty of Maastricht (1992). Additionally, emphasis is placed on a comparison with the interpretive model proposed by Giacomo Becattini, whose assessment is shown to succeed in encompassing the ongoing economic transformations and is particularly effective in depicting the specificity of the Tuscan case, destined to survive the pressures of international competition. In the present author's view the district, far from constituting a recipe valid exclusively on a local scale and during expansionary phases, represents an effective answer to a scenario increasingly - and more and more intensely - affected by economic transformations that can have a major impact.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Businesses’ Performance and Innovation

2021 ◽  
pp. 097215092110391
Author(s):  
Ronen Harel
Keyword(s):  
Open Innovation ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
International Markets ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Economic Uncertainty ◽  
Trade Restrictions ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Work Strategies ◽  
The Impact

This study looked at the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the revenues of small businesses operating in industrial sectors and at the extent to which these businesses changed or adjusted their business activity, or changed the extent to which they utilized open innovation tools and implement innovation promotion processes. The findings show that, despite COVID-19’s far-reaching impact in all areas of life, the revenues of most small businesses in industrial sector were not adversely affected by the pandemic, and most of them did not change or adjust their business activities or the extent to which they employed open innovation tools and engage in innovation promotion processes. The findings also indicate that small businesses, most of whose revenues derive from subcontracting work to other businesses business to business (B2B) and from long-term agreements, are likely to cope better during periods of economic difficulty and under conditions of economic uncertainty. The findings also show that businesses that are active in the international markets have succeeded in adapting that activity to the changing demands and various trade restrictions. This study’s theoretical contribution lies in its focus on small businesses in the industrial sector and its examination of how the subcontracting strategy and international operations help such businesses contend with problems and conditions of economic uncertainty. On the practical plane, the findings suggest that policymakers should foster programmes that assist small businesses with these work strategies, which can help them survive, enhance their stability and thereby also promote the economy’s ability to withstand crisis situations

Assessment of small businesses activities in Ukraine

2019 ◽  
pp. 40-47
Author(s):  
Igor Ponomarenko ◽  
Kateryna Volovnenko
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Business Entities ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Micro Enterprises

The subject of the research is a set of approaches to the statistical analysis ofthe activities of small business entities in Ukraine, including micro-enterprises. The purpose of writing this article is to study of the features of functioningof small business entities in Ukraine. Methodology. The research methodology isto use a system-structural and comparative analysis (to study the change in thenumber of small enterprises by major components); monographic (when studyingmethods of statistical analysis of small businesses); economic analysis (when assessing the impact of small business entities on socio-economic phenomena andprocesses in Ukraine). The scientific novelty consists to determine the features ofthe functioning of small businesses in Ukraine in modern conditions. The influenceof the activities of the main socio-economic and political indicators on the activities of small enterprises in recent periods of time has been identified. It has beenestablished that there is flexibility in the development of strategies by small businesses in conditions of significant competition, which makes it possible to quicklyrespond to changing situations in specific markets. Conclusions. The use of acomprehensive statistical analysis of small businesses functioning in Ukraine willallow government agencies to develop a set of measures to optimize the activitiesof these enterprises, which ultimately will positively affect the strengthening oftheir competitiveness and will contribute to the growth of the national economicsystem.

scholarly journals Effects of Regional Bank Merger on Small Business Borrowing: Evidence from Japan

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Hironobu Miyazaki ◽  
Hiroyuki Aman
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Loan Portfolio ◽  
Small Business Lending ◽  
Borrowing Costs ◽  
Bank Merger ◽  
Regional Bank ◽  
Small Business Loans ◽  
The Impact

This study examines the impact of a regional bank merger in Japan on borrowing by small businesses, focusing on firms that borrow from the acquiring bank, the acquired bank, or both. First, we find that post-merger borrowing costs declined. This result suggests that small borrowers enjoy more favorable post-merger financing conditions because efficiencies from economies of scale lead to lower costs. Second, we<strong> </strong>find that post-merger borrowing costs decline for firms that borrow only from the acquiring or acquired bank, whereas they did not decline for firms that borrow from both. Third, we find that only small business loans to firms that borrow from both the acquiring and acquired banks decrease post-merger. This result suggests that small business lending might decline because of a merged bank’s loan portfolio and lending strategy.

scholarly journals Impact of Solidification on Inclusion Morphology in ESR and PESR Remelted Martensitic Stainless Steel Ingots

Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 408
Author(s):  
Ewa Sjöqvist Persson ◽  
Sofia Brorson ◽  
Alec Mitchell ◽  
Pär G. Jönsson
Keyword(s):  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Martensitic Stainless Steel ◽  
Dendritic Structure ◽  
Steel Grade ◽  
Solidification Structure ◽  
Production Scale ◽  
Steel Grades ◽  
Steel Ingots ◽  
Columnar Dendritic Structure ◽  
The Impact

This study focuses on the impact of solidification on the inclusion morphologies in different sizes of production-scale electro-slag remelting (ESR) and electro-slag remelting under a protected pressure-controlled atmosphere, (PESR), ingots, in a common martensitic stainless steel grade. The investigation has been carried out to increase the knowledge of the solidification and change in inclusion morphologies during ESR and PESR remelting. In order to optimize process routes for different steel grades, it is important to define the advantages of different processes. A comparison is made between an electrode, ESR, and PESR ingots with different production-scale ingot sizes, from 400 mm square to 1050 mm in diameter. The electrode and two of the smallest ingots are from the same electrode charge. The samples are taken from both the electrode, ingots, and rolled/forged material. The solidification structure, dendrite arm spacing, chemical analyzes, and inclusion number on ingots and/or forged/rolled material are studied. The results show that the larger the ingot and the further towards the center of the ingot, the larger inclusions are found. As long as an ingot solidifies with a columnar dendritic structure (DS), the increase in inclusion number and size with ingot diameter is approximately linear. However, at the ingot size (1050 mm in diameter in this study) when the center of the ingot converts to solidification in the equiaxial mode (EQ), the increase in number and size of the inclusions is much higher. The transition between a dendritic and an equiaxial solidification in the center of the ingots in this steel grade takes place in the region between the ingot diameters of 800 and 1050 mm.

scholarly journals Resources, Production Scales and Time Required for Producing RNA Vaccines for the Global Pandemic Demand

Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Zoltán Kis ◽  
Cleo Kontoravdi ◽  
Robin Shattock ◽  
Nilay Shah
Keyword(s):  
Production Process ◽  
Messenger Rna ◽  
Vaccination Campaign ◽  
Vaccine Dose ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Production Scale ◽  
Working Volume ◽  
Global Demand ◽  
The Impact

To overcome pandemics, such as COVID-19, vaccines are urgently needed at very high volumes. Here we assess the techno-economic feasibility of producing RNA vaccines for the demand associated with a global vaccination campaign. Production process performance is assessed for three messenger RNA (mRNA) and one self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) vaccines, all currently under clinical development, as well as for a hypothetical next-generation saRNA vaccine. The impact of key process design and operation uncertainties on the performance of the production process was assessed. The RNA vaccine drug substance (DS) production rates, volumes and costs are mostly impacted by the RNA amount per vaccine dose and to a lesser extent by the scale and titre in the production process. The resources, production scale and speed required to meet global demand vary substantially in function of the RNA amount per dose. For lower dose saRNA vaccines, global demand can be met using a production process at a scale of below 10 L bioreactor working volume. Consequently, these small-scale processes require a low amount of resources to set up and operate. RNA DS production can be faster than fill-to-finish into multidose vials; hence the latter may constitute a bottleneck.

scholarly journals A SAM-Based Analysis of the Economic Impact of Frauds in the Italian Wine Value Chain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donato Romano ◽  
Benedetto Rocchi ◽  
Ahmad Sadiddin ◽  
Gianluca Stefani ◽  
Raffaella Zucaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Food System ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Wine Industry ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Italian Economy ◽  
Wine Production ◽  
Italian Wine ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe objective of this paper is twofold: firstly, it analyzes the evolution of frauds in the Italian wine value chain over the period 2007–2015, and then, using a properly disaggregated social accounting matrix (SAM) of the Italian economy, it simulates the impact of wine frauds on the national economy in terms of growth, employment, value added and income. The wine industry is the sector most exposed to frauds within the Italian agro-food system accounting for 88% of total value of seized agro-food outputs. Most irregularities (95%) are made by only three agents, specifically individual wineries, bottlers-wholesalers and retailers. We estimated industry-specific SAM multipliers to assess the share of the Italian economy depending on irregular wine production. These activities account for 11.5% of specialized permanent crop farms output and over 25% of wine industry output. This is a sign of vulnerability of the wine industry: should a food scandal/scare determine a drop in consumers’ demand, the negative effect on production activities of these sectors may be large. The SAM was also used to perform an impact analysis adopting a counterfactual approach. Results show a slightly positive increase of value added (6 million euro) along with an overall decrease in the activity level (an output loss of 406 million euro and more than six thousand full time jobs lost). This contractionary effect can be explained with fraud rents. Indeed, the extra-profits from frauds do not activate the economy circular flow as most of them leak out to exogenous accounts such as the public administration and the rest of the world.

Geological and geomorphological problems caused by transportation and industry

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorant David ◽  
Zoltan Ilyes ◽  
Zoltan Baros
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Narrow Strip ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
Shopping Centres ◽  
Industrial Parks ◽  
Surface Sealing ◽  
Steep Slopes ◽  
The Impact

AbstractAlterations in topography due to the construction of transport infrastructure and industrial development are the results of rather complex processes. The impact of transport constructions upsetting (topographic) equilibrium is manifested in a relatively narrow strip, and, mostly, through producing abnormally steep slopes, in reducing relief stability. The earthworks for transport routes are themselves also landscape-forming factors whereas in the case of industrial developments, planation is usually mentioned. Topographic changes related to the construction of transport infrastructure and industrial development are discussed historically in this chapter. Among the direct impacts of the first are those related to the construction of Roman and Medieval roads, hollow roads in loess, public roads, motorways, railways, canals, tunnels and airports; while of the second are those of early mining and metallurgy, cellars, sludge reservoirs, slag cones and fly-ash reservoirs, cooling ponds, industrial parks, shopping centres and waste disposal sites. Of the indirect ones, an introduction is given to impacts of surface sealing, changes in runoff, the ‘waterfall effect,’ as well as to environmental impacts under permafrost conditions.

FEATURES OF THE RUSSIAN SMALL BUSINESS MODEL AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
pp. 71-85
Author(s):  
Natal’ya E. Egorova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Bank Lending ◽  
Structural Instability ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Development Levels ◽  
The Impact

The article analyzes the quantitative and structural stability of Russian small business and identifies the model features of its functioning. It investigates the dynamics of development of Russian small business is investigated and notes a downward trend in the number of small and medium-sized enterprises over the past two years. A conclusion is drawn that the quantitative indicators reflecting its functioning are highly sensitive to the negative effects of the macroeconomic environment. The author introduces a concept of the small business heterogeneity and brings up its structural characteristics, represented by various categories of small and medium-sized firms. Comparative analysis of the Russian small business model with foreign small business confirms its quantitative and structural instability. That makes the considered sector of the national economy vulnerable to shocks (externalities), including the COVID-19 pandemic. It is assumed that the negative consequences of the pandemic will affect Russian small businesses more than foreign ones, and the gap in their development levels will widen. An assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Russian small business and a forecast of its development are made in the context of limited government support and the absence of active bank lending.

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