Guglielmo Faldetta

The Content of Freedom in Resources: The Open Source Model

Today we are facing the rising of new needs for the firms, especially for the small ones; they find themselves acting in a context characterized by the great content of information technology. This paper wants to analyse some aspects tied to the use of some particular kinds of resources, such as knowledge and organizational culture. Its necessary, especially in the new economy, to add another attribute to the four set by Barney as elements able to make the resources sustainable competitive advantage sources in 1991: this attribute is freedom, essentially as freedom of reaching and using resources. This attribute, more than coming along with the four already set, can be considered in many cases as a pre-condition to the other ones in existence.The theoretical part will be completed by the reference to a particular organizational model that is based on freedom, that is the open source model; well try to show how freedom is not an abstract concept in business.

The logic of the gift and the bonding value: a new perspective for business management

Purpose – This paper aims to conceptualize business relationships so as to include in these dimensions of both gift and gratuity, to develop the concept of “bonding value”, and to offer some ideas for the use of this within firms.Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses the concept of “bonding value”, distinguishing it from the concepts of “exchange value” and “use value” that are normally used in business, and attempts to investigate its practical implications.Findings – The paper shows how evaluating both the relationships within the organization and between firm and stakeholders in terms of “bonding value” can have effects on the economic, organizational and social aspects of a firms activities.Research limitations/implications – The paper is a starting point of a possible conceptual path that should be directed toward the theoretical and practical use of “bonding value” in business. It is necessary to support the theoretical considerations with future empirical investigation showing the possi...

Organizational caring and organizational justice

Purpose – This article aims to analyze, from a theoretical point of view, if organizational caring and organizational justice are compatible and complementary. It proposes a link between justice and care, expanding the common notions of organizational justice, to find a relational concept of organizational justice that can lead to organizational caring. Design/methodology/approach – The article reviews the literature on the common notions of organizational justice. To find a relational concept of justice, it refers to Levinas’ thoughts. Therefore, it develops two complementary approaches to organizational caring and analyzes their practical implications. Findings – The article shows that the relational approach based on the logic of gift and on a Levinasian concept of organizational justice can constitute the ethical basis, which will most likely lead to the creation of a caring organization. Research limitations/implications – The article is a starting point of a conceptual path that should be directed t...

Criminal business model and the governance of seized and confiscated businesses

Purpose n n n n nThe main purpose of this paper is to analyze what happens to a business model when the governance of the focal organization changes, particularly when it has to re-shape its transactional network. n n n n nDesign/methodology/approach n n n n nThe paper reviews literature on governance structure of criminal organizations and uses two case studies to show two different approaches in re-shaping the business transactional network after the seizure from Mafia organization. n n n n nFindings n n n n nThe paper finds three different approaches about governance structure in criminal organizations and describes what happens to a business model when the governance of the focal organization changes as is the case of the seizure and confiscation of Mafia businesses. The paper shows that when a judicial administrator is able to effectively build a new transactional network, the business he manages can survive and can also give good performance. n n n n nResearch limitations/implications n n n n nThe paper provides two business cases, but this is not enough to give empirical evidence; this could be provided through other case studies or through quantitative methods using surveys or data provided by the Italian courts. n n n n nPractical implications n n n n nThe paper has some potential managerial implications, in particular for the judicial administrator. He should encourage the construction of a new transactional network, first analyzing the existing network, going deeply into the content and the motivators of the relationships with the stakeholders, and deciding if such relationships can be re-formulated or must be left. n n n n nOriginality/value n n n n nThe originality of the paper is that it analyzes criminal organizations using well-known approaches, applying them to the case of seized and confiscated business.

Defining a sustainable overbooking approach in the hospitality industry

Tourism industry is characterised by a growing uncertainty about volume of demand and relationships with tourists. Hotels often practice overbooking to face uncertainty, seeking to maximise rooms’ occupancy rates acting on the reduction of uncertainty on demand. At the same time overbooking is often correlated to an increase of uncertainty in relationships because it is very difficult to predict how different customers might react facing overbooking. This article aims to compare two different overbooking approaches: the traditional overbooking approach and an alternative one, called fair and transparent overbooking, according to which customers are made aware in advance of the possibility of overbooking. The main objective is to understand what are the consequences of traditional overbooking, both positive and negative, and then to figure out if the introduction of a new overbooking formula could alleviate the negative consequences, while maintaining the benefits, making it more sustainable from a social, relational and economic point of view. The theoretical analysis is supported by an empirical survey which aims to verify how overbooking is common, for which reasons is mainly practised by hotels and what are the main benefits and problems. Finally, the survey aimed to explore the possibility of practicing the fair and transparent overbooking.