Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Charisma: Which Are the Links with Business Models Sustainability?

Leadership ethics tend to emphasise the benefits of implementing ethical practices within organisations, focussing on the importance of a leader’s values and virtues and the positive effects of a leader’s behaviour on employees’ satisfaction, the organisational culture and stakeholders’ relationships. Drawing from this premise, the work addresses entrepreneurial and managerial leadership model, such as charismatic and virtues-based leadership, and its contribution in developing sustainability-oriented strategy. Using a methodological approach which merges the inductive and deductive perspective, a critical review of leadership approaches is followed by the empirical analysis based on a case study relative to a large Italian public company—Brunello Cucinelli Spa—driving attention to the effectiveness of sustainable business models which require managers and entrepreneurs to govern the internal and external complexity and actively contribute to both the sustainability of the company and the local and global environment

Cultural Capital and Cultural Heritage Education in UNESCO Sites ‘The Right Way’: Insights in Challenging Times

This work introduces two case studies relative to the the projects of cultural heritage preservation and development implemented in two famous Italian UNESCO sites, aimed at raising both awareness and increasing the sharing of cultural heritage value. The cases point out the effectiveness of the approaches suggested by both the European Community, and UNESCO, based on the involvement of multiple stakeholders, including young generations, in initiating the preservation and socio-economic regeneration of historic cities of outstanding universal value and inspiring good practices and coherent behaviours among different city users.Questo lavoro presenta due casi studio relativi ai progetti di tutela e valorizzazione del patrimonio culturale realizzati in famosi siti UNESCO italiani, finalizzati ad accrescere sia la sensibilizzazione che la condivisione del valore del patrimonio culturale su cui costruire un percorso di rivitalizzazione e di rigenerazione socio-culturale ed economico del contesto locale. I casi sottolineano l'efficacia di approcci, suggeriti dalla Comunità Europea, dall’UNESCO e dall’agenda UN 2030, basati sul coinvolgimento di più parti interessate, comprese le giovani generazioni, nell'innescare la conservazione e la rigenerazione socio-economica di città storiche di valore universale e ispirano ispirare buone pratiche e comportamenti tra i diversi fruitori delle città storiche

The balanced scorecard logic in the management control and reporting of small business company networks: a case study

The purpose of this paper is to assess and integrate the application of the balance scorecard (BSC) logic into business networks identifying functions and use that such performance measuring tool may undertake for SME’s collaborative development. Thus, the paper analyses a successful case study regarding an Italian network of small companies, evaluating how the multidimensional perspective of BSC can support strategic and operational network management as well as communication of financial and extra financial performance to stakeholders. The study consists of a qualitative method, proposing the application of BSC model for business networks from international literature. Several meetings and interviews as well as triangulation with primary and secondary documents have been conducted. The case study allows to recognize how BSC network logic can play a fundamental role on defining network mission, supporting management control as well as measuring and reporting the intangible assets formation along the network development lifecycle. This is the first time application of a BSC integrated framework for business networks composed of SMEs. The case study demonstrates operational value of BSC for SME’s collaborative development and success

Educating for Sustainability: Perspectives and Critical Notes on Accounting Scholars’ Role in Higher Education

Education for sustainable development represents a relevant issue that allows Universities to lead and respond to social needs towards a more sustainable life and a complete change in the global paradigm of education and involvement of society. A crucial point for developing a culturally sensitive vision is to deepen the scholars’ genuine commitment to sustainability. A pillar of sustainability education should rest on authenticity, intended as coherence between the scholars’ research and teaching arguments relative to sustainability and the concrete behaviors held in their professional and personal spheres of life. Starting from this premise, the papers aims to inquire if there is a decoupling between the concepts scholars contribute to promote within the sustainability discourse and the real practice of sustainability in their personal and professional experience. “Is there a missing link between what scholars teach and study, thereby contributing to sustainability research and their daily choices and style of life?” After having presented the research design and the methodological approach adopted to empirically investigate the phenomenon the attention has been focused on the social and environmental accounting research literature, where some contributions claim for the presence of “blue meanies” that invade the world of scholarship, reflection, collegiality and hinder the development of challenges toward sustainability. The preliminary results of the explorative study suggest that a lot of tension related to education for sustainability improve the transfer of sustainable values and attitudes within the scientific community and the students, while several factors hinder sustainable behaviors in the daily professional and personal life of scholars, thus undermining relationships which are a pillar of sustainability.JEL Codes - M41; I23; I2

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND CORPORATE FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY. WHEN A COMPANY IS “THE BEST PLACE TO WORK”: ELICA GROUP, THE HI-LIFE COMPANY

The purpose of the work is to examine the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility policies, and Human Resource Management, particularly focusing on Corporate Family Responsibility. How do CSR practices impact on employees, their work, and their family life? How effective are these practices and how can they positively impact on the difficult “work-life balance”? With the aim to answer to these questions, the study combines the deductive and inductive approach. After presenting the theoretical framework, the second part of the paper analyzes the case of Elica Group, a large, multinational Italian family company that has been named one of the “best places to work” in the national and European contexts. The points of reflection that emerge from this study are centered on the factors that induce the company to adopt such policies, and the factors that impact their effectiveness. The results reveal that a robust ethical foundation on the parts of the company’s founder and of its management, as well as their commitment to sharing values and objectives with the entire organization, are keys to Elica’s success based on a holistic development (economic, social and environmental development)

Le aziende “di territorio” fra teoria e prassi: verso lo “sviluppo integrale dell’azienda” e del contesto locale

Abstract Obiettivo. Il paper si propone di analizzare il concetto di “sviluppo integrale” delle aziende - inteso come crescita congiunta della dimensione competitiva, sociale e ambientale, che valorizza i fondamenti antropologici della cultura aziendale nel rapporto con il contesto territoriale - e il ruolo che le imprese “di territorio” giocano nel promuovere tale modello. Il lavoro sviluppa sul piano concettuale ed empirico i concetti di impresa di territorio, radicamento, coesione e capitale sociale e, nel sottolineare la circolarità del legame tra sviluppo integrale dell’azienda e del territorio, arricchisce con un nuovo schema interpretativo il filone degli studi che verte sul rapporto tra impresa e contesto locale. Metodologia. Il lavoro si snoda attraverso la duplice prospettiva deduttiva e induttiva. Quest’ultima è incentrata sull’analisi qualitativa e sulla metodologia del multiple case studies applicata a due aziende italiane “di territorio” (Distillerie Varnelli Spa, Gruppo Loccioni) localizzate nelle Marche. Risultati. Dopo avere definito il framework teorico in cui si colloca la ricerca, l’analisi empirica consente di formulare proposizioni che sintetizzano gli attributi delle imprese “di territorio” e del modello dello sviluppo integrale di cui sono protagoniste e di identificare la bidirezionalità del legame tra sviluppo integrale dell’azienda e del territorio. Limiti della ricerca. Il principale limite dello studio risiede nell’ impossibilità di generalizzare i risultati emersi dall’analisi qualitativa condotta in questa prima fase esplorativa. La verifica delle proposizioni formulate richiede una seconda fase della ricerca, tesa ad esplicitare le variabili rilevanti del modello di sviluppo integrale delle aziende di territorio in altri casi aziendali appartenenti allo stesso e ad altri contesti territoriali. Implicazioni pratiche. Il lavoro contribuisce a sottolineare la centralità delle imprese radicate, protagoniste di percorsi di sviluppo reale basati su elementi soft di natura intangibile (capitale sociale, intellettuale, relazionale) sedimentati nel genius loci del territorio, e a diffondere la conoscenza delle “buone pratiche” promosse da imprese che rappresentano protagonisti importanti nella costruzione di modelli di governance sostenibile del territorio. Originalità. Coniugando la prospettiva della responsabilità, dell’etica aziendale con quella dello sviluppo locale, sul piano scientifico il lavoro offre spunti di riflessione riflessioni sul concetto di “imprese di territorio”, contribuendo ad arricchire il filone degli studi che verte sul rapporto tra imprenditorialità e sviluppo locale, regionale e nazionale. Objective. The paper aims at analysing the concept of “holistic development” of the firm - which in this context means the firm’s development as it is linked to its competitive, social, ethical and environmental dimensions - evaluating the anthropological dimension of business culture in its relationship with its territorial context in relation to the role that “territorial” businesses play in promoting such a model of local development. It does so by developing on both the conceptual and empirical levels the concepts of the “territorial” firm, of rootedness, holistic development, social capital and social cohesion. Methodology. The work pursues a double perspective: deductive and inductive. The latter is centered on a qualitative analysis of data, which were elicited through the methodology of multiple case studies related to two Italian “territorial businesses” (Distillerie Varnelli Spa, Gruppo Loccioni) located in the Marches region. Results. By defining the aforementioned theoretical framework the empirical analysis allows to formulate propositions that synthesize the attributes of “territorial businesses” and of the model of holistic development. The study consists of verifying the bi-directionality of the link between holistic development of the firm and of the territory. Limits of the research. The main limit of the study is due to the use of a qualitative approach which is related to a limited number of case studies. Therefore, in a future research development, a greater number of “territorial” firms - both from the same or other regions - should be examined in order to identify and verify the variables at the base of the model of holistic development. Practical implications. The work helps reinforce the understanding of the centrality of the role of businesses that are deeply rooted in their environment, protagonists of a real development based on “soft” and intangible elements (i.e. social, intellectual and relational capital). It also contributes to foster a greater understanding of the best practices of businesses that are seen as role models of sustainable territorial governance. Originality. The work links the perspective of business ethics with the theme of local development. On the scientific level the work addresses a new interpretative paradigm centered on the “territorial business” concept

Contratto di rete e turismo: la collaborazione aziendale come driver della competitività del settore e del territorio. Un’analisi delle prime esperienze

This work deals with the theme of businesses networks in the tourist sector through the network contract (Italian Law. n. 33 of 9th April 2009 and subsequent modifications). Furthermore it develops several preliminary reflections that have emerged from an analysis of current literature and from empirical research on the role of the network contract in sustaining the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in the tourist sector and at the same time in valorizing the territory. The paper is made up of two main parts. The first presents the theoretical framework focused on forms of inter-firm collaboration which include the network contract. The second part presents the results of the first exploratory investigation into network contracts drawn up in the tourist sector in February 2013 with the aim of identifying, on the basis of the objectives shared by companies, its potential in the tourist sphere and its possible impact on the social and economic fabric of local society. The initial results highlight that today the network contract is not yet widely used in the tourist sector, although recent signs of growth indicate a development in the future. The objectives followed through this tool of inter-firm collaboration are mainly geared towards marketing strategies, integration in the tourist industry, internationalization and promoting the territory which all open up new spaces for economic, social and environmental growth

Inclusive development & civic wealth in UNESCO sites. A pilot project to regenerate the stables of the Duke Federico da Montefeltro in Urbino.

Lo studio affronta il tema di come le amministrazioni locali fronteggiano la sfida di rigenerare le città storiche culturali grazie all’impegno delle comunità e degli stakeholder valorizzando il patrimonio culturale (CH). Il caso di studio presentato è quello della città di Urbino (Italia), patrimonio UNESCO. Il disegno di ricerca si basa sull’osservazione di un’iniziativa specifica, nota come “il rilancio dello spazio DATA” (le scuderie del Duca Federico da Montefeltro risalenti al Rinascimento). Le premesse che hanno attivato le comunità locali a collaborare al progetto sono state ricostruite e interpretate sotto la lente teorica della creazione di ricchezza civica. La metodologia adottata per ricostruire i processi messi in atto, i fattori che hanno attivato i meccanismi di generazione di ricchezza civica e i risultati generati, si è basata su un approccio qualitativo. Per cogliere la percezione degli stakeholder sul CH e identificare gli approcci per il coinvolgimento dei cittadini, le informazioni sono state tratte da una molteplicità di fonti primarie e secondarie (interviste non strutturate rivolte agli attori chiave coinvolti nel progetto, analisi di documenti e discussioni pubbliche, delibere del Consiglio comunale, analisi del sito web del Comune). I risultati evidenziano che la riscoperta del proprio patrimonio culturale, basato sull’eredità del passato ma riutilizzato nella vita quotidiana, può diventare il collante che favorisce il networking e il benessere della comunità. Tuttavia, poiché la creazione di ricchezza civica richiede che visioni e interessi dei principali stakeholder convergano, il caso di studio rivela che la collaborazione tra gli stakeholder ha fortemente bisogno del sostegno dell’amministrazione locale come facilitatore/organizzatore capace di perseguire nel tempo un equilibrio tra le diverse esigenze e aspettative.The study focuses on how local administrations can activate and foster the process of linking cultural heritage to civic wealth creation by engaging different stakeholders in urban regeneration initiatives. The research design relies on the observation of a project known as “the Relaunch of the DATA space” – the stables of the Duke Federico da Montefeltro – in Urbino (Italy). The premises that activated local communities to collaborate on the project have been reconstructed and interpreted under the theoretical lens of civic wealth creation. The methodology adopted to reconstruct the processes put in place, the premises and factors that activated the mechanisms supposed to create civic wealth and the outcomes generated, was based on a qualitative approach. Multiple sources (both primary and secondary sources) were used to grasp stakeholders’ opinions on culture-led regeneration initiatives and to identify approaches for citizen engagement, including semi-structured interviews addressed to key actors involved in the project, analysis of public documents and public discussions, municipality website and the city strategic plan. Findings highlight that the rediscovery and reuse of one’s cultural heritage rooted in a common identity may become the glue that favours networking and the community’s wellbeing. However, as civic wealth creation requires the key stakeholders’ expectations come together, our case study reveals that collaboration among stakeholders strongly necessitates the support of the local administration as a facilitator/orchestrator, pursuing balance among different visions and needs over time

Integrated sustainable performance management systems: A case study on Italian benefit corporations

Today, to integrate sustainable development goals into business, an overall integrated sustainable performance management system — to implement and measure these global goals — is needed. In a short timeframe, the benefit impact assessment (BIA) — elaborated by B Lab, utilized by benefit corporations (a new and emerging hybrid type of prosocial business) and adopted by the United Nations — became the most comprehensive indicator to evaluate company practices against SDGs. Italy was the first sovereign country to insert the benefit corporation legislation after the US and analyze the effectiveness of the BIA. This prompted us to address our attention to the integration of benefit-driven indicators, adopted by Italian B Corps into their performance management systems, and to analyze if these indicators are used by managers to support internal decision-making. To achieve this goal, cross-sector semi-structured interviews were conducted in seven Italian certified benefit corporations. Relevant to both researchers and practitioners, our review provides a useful snapshot of how the BIA is developing as an assessment and how value-based organizations are moving toward an integrated sustainable performance management system

Dalle politiche europee ai progetti del Governo locale per una responsabilità sociale di territorio. Il caso Regione Marche

From European policies to Local Government’s projects for a Territorial Social Responsibility. The case of Marche Region Territorial Social Responsibility (TSR) is founded on the rediscovery of the values shared by economic, social and institutional actors within a territory. CSR-oriented partnerships between local and private partners can be considered as a new generation of policies which are the result of a common path founded on collaboration. The shift from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to collective responsibility sees institutions and organisations (public and private, for profit and non-profit) participating in a form of economic development that is socially and environmentally sustainable. Drawing from the above consideration, after having analysed how the concept of TSR has been adopted in the EU policies and in the Italian national plan, the aim of our research is the evaluation  of Italian local government initiatives to promote Corporate Social Responsibility through public-private network. The empirical study is focused on the “Regione Marche” experience, which is an example of shared territorial governance and of a practive model aimed at promoting a territorial sustainable developmen