Sustainability and Mountain Tourism: The Millennial's Perspective

Evidence from several studies illustrates the different points of view through which sustainability and mountains have been studied over the years. Nowadays, interest in Millennials is increasing but no research has compared Millennials and sustainability in the mountain context. This study aims at defining sustainability with reference to Millennial perception of both winter and summer mountain sports. By analysing data gathered from a sample of 2292 Millennials (Piedmont area), the authors confirm their high degree of sensitivity towards sustainable issues and, above all, discover that there are differences in the sustainable perception Millennials have of both mountain winter and summer sports. More specifically, Millennial perception is deeply influenced by the place where they are used to living―mountains or cities―and by their gender. From a managerial point of view, results have direct implications on the administrators of mountain institutions who can implement appropriate initiatives in order to correctly sensitise Millennials towards mountain sports. Moreover, from a theoretical perspective, the study opens a new scenario on two important topics linked to sustainability, namely Millennials and mountain sports

How “Familiness” Influences the Business: Cases from the Luxury Industry

In the current literature, several authors have exploredthe peculiarities of family businesses (Aronoff & Ward, 1995;Astrachan & Shanker, 2003; La Porta et al., 1999). On the otherhand, attention has been devoted on the characteristics of luxuryfirms (among others Mosca, 2008; Brioschi, 2005; Aiello &Donvito, 2006). However, to the best knowledge of the authors, noattempts have been made so far to investigate the “familiness”and the entrepreneurial orientation in family firms operating inthe luxury market. This article starts from the availableliterature on the subject, and aims to show how the strengthsarising from the fact of having an entrepreneurial family andbeing a luxury brand, are interwoven. The synergy that is thuscreated, leads to a fundamental competitive advantage, creatingloyalty and making the products highly desirable. The paperfurther investigates the relationship that exists betweensuccessful brands in the luxury market and the family componentof the company. It also shows how “familiness”1 can contributeactively to the success of a brand in the market of high-endgoods, and how it can ensure the longevity of family businessesoperating on the luxury market

Traditional cheese production and an EU labeling scheme: The Alpine cheese producers' opinion

In 2012, the European Union introduced two optional quality terms (OQT) as new tools for the enhancement of food products. Two years later, the requirements for the use of the OQT “mountain product” were defined to enhance agricultural production in harsh environments, such as mountain areas. This new tool aimed at promoting local development, maintaining the economic activities in mountain areas and redistributing wealth. The present research aims at understanding if farmers perceived this tool as useful and evaluates their level of awareness. To this aim, a sample of 68 traditional cheese producers from the North West Alpine Arch was interviewed. The results show that some cheese producers have a positive attitude towards the concepts set out in the OQT “mountain product” and consider it a useful tool to promote and enhance their products. Some critical elements are also discussed