PurposeThis paper explores knowledge sharing (KS) and intellectual capital (IC) impacts on the success rate of equity crowdfunding (EC) campaigns in the Italian market, which represents a new model for financing entrepreneurial initiatives.Design/methodology/approachThe relation between KS, IC and the success rate of EC campaigns is analysed with a panel regression that measures IC through the value added intellectual coefficient. Social network analysis is used to measure KS in the users' network on Twitter for EC campaigning. Specifically, the authors consider the information users exchange on social networks as a proxy of KS and identify the hubs influencing information dissemination, the size and strength of networks for each EC campaign. Finally, the success rate of EC campaigns is a ratio of the number of positive campaigns to the total number of campaigns for each platform.FindingsThe success rate of EC campaigns is positively related to IC and significantly and positively related to the number of connections the EC platforms have.Practical implicationsThe positive relationship between the hub role of social network platforms and the success of EC campaigns provides an important signal to crowdfunding operators. As more potential investors focus on an EC campaign, a bandwagon effect could involve uninformed investors. This result is crucial in order to better understand how social media activity affects crowdfunding success.Originality/valueAlthough the literature has examined the impact of KS on general firm performance and the mediating role of intellectual capital, no prior studies have examined the impacts of KS and IC on the success rate of EC campaigns in a specific market.

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Purpose The link between mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and innovation has been analysed in both corporate finance studies and the innovation literature. Despite this attention and the practical evidence that highlights different connections between these two terms, there is a need to investigate the latest trends with regard to these important topics, and to put a particular focus on the emerging paradigm of open innovation. Thus, this paper aims to provide a systematic literature review (SLR) about the relationship between M&As and the concept of innovation in the current scenario. Design/methodology/approach Through an SLR from 2012 to June 2017, 55 papers have been identified and analysed to give a better understanding of the motivations and the methodologies adopted in past studies. Findings This paper identifies various conceptual and research methodological characteristics of studies that have connected, directly or indirectly, M&As and innovation in recent years. In addition, the results highlight a scarcity of studies that explicitly or implicitly refer to the open innovation paradigm, marking only a partial understanding of this emerging phenomenon. Originality/value This paper improves the knowledge on the link between extraordinary corporate transactions and innovation, and it highlights that a clear consensus, particularly regarding the open innovation paradigm, is lacking. Thus the authors propose that future studies should carefully evaluate M&As by following the open innovation approach.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse companies listed on the FTSE MIB, in order to investigate the introduction of different types of open innovation practice as a key factor to develop a competitive advantage to pursue value creation. Design/methodology/approach This research uses a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. A quantitative study was conducted to determine the firms listed on the FTSE MIB that for more than 10 years have paid dividends and beat the yield of the market. The qualitative analysis was designed to provide insights into the adoption of at least one open innovation practice by the listed companies selected in the quantitative phase. Findings This work is based on an empirical analysis undertaken with 40 Italian companies listed on the FTSE MIB. In particular, the authors highlight 16 companies that for more than a decade have regularly paid dividends and, at the same time, have beat the FTSE MIB Index. All of these companies implemented at least one open innovation practice during the period investigated. Originality/value This is among the first pioneer research works based on the potential relationship among value creation, innovation practice and competitive advantage in the Italian market. This study highlights the fact that 16 out of 40 companies listed on the FTSE MIB create more value for shareholders over a long period, and all of these firms adopt different open innovation practices (e.g. partnership and collaboration with external entities; mergers and acquisitions and alliances; investment in start-ups; hackathons and call for ideas; outsourcing R&D) as a key factor to develop a sustainable competitive advantage.