Maria Rosaria Napolitano

Entertainment orientation of Italian shopping centres: antecedents and performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a definition of the concept of “entertainment orientation” for shopping centres and to provide a framework for analysis of the main antecedents and performance outcomes related to a shopping centres entertainment orientation.Design/methodology/approach – The framework used in this study is based on contingency theory and resource‐based theory. The concept of entertainment orientation is approached from the perspective of external recreational services. Seven categories of antecedents are established – categorised as environment and centre‐specific factors. The performance of entertainment orientation is evaluated using sales and market measures.Findings – The paper provides empirical evidence about the main factors that influence the adoption of entertainment orientation by shopping centres and finds a positive link between entertainment orientation and performance outcomes.Research limitations/implications – The model should be tested on a larger sample ...

The role of stakeholders in town centre management: guidelines for identification and analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the identification of stakeholders involved in town centre management (TCM) projects and the main areas of intervention according to their interests and needs.Design/methodology/approach – The proposed framework is tested in the town of Benevento, Italy. On the basis of stakeholder theory, key stakeholders were interviewed according to the different kinds of linkages they had with the TCM organisation.Findings – Results from the paper support a stakeholder‐based approach to the development of TCM projects. In addition, a set of categories is proposed to define and evaluate the overall town centre offer.Practical implications – The proposed framework can be used by cities or towns for the evaluation of the role of different public and private stakeholders in TCM projects, and for the assessment of their “stake” in the town centre.Originality/value – Despite the need to promote a partnership approach between the public and private sectors havin...

Tourism satisfaction effect on general country image, destination image, and post-visit intentions

The study analyzes the relationship between tourism satisfaction, cognitive and affective country image, destination image, and post-visit intentions. The proposed research model is tested with a survey on a sample of 542 international tourists intercepted in two Italian airports at the end of their journey. Results suggest that general country and destination images are able to mediate the effect of tourism satisfaction on post-visit behavioral intentions. Moreover, empirical findings show that a high-quality tourism experience is able to not only affect intention to return and willingness to recommend the country as a tourism destination but also induce more positive intentions toward the products made in the sojourn country. On the basis of results, the study concludes with discussion of managerial and research implications.

The institutional education and training for entrepreneurship development in the Italian Universities

The role of the University in triggering the innovation processes and supporting the local development has been recognised for a long time. Universities have a strategic task in generating and sustaining economic growth, especially regarding the successful commercialisation of the scientific research results and the wide promotion of the entrepreneurial spirit. Although entrepreneurship may be influenced by different factors, there is certainly a cultural aspect that needs to be taken into account and, in this respect, education may offer an important contribution. However, the collection of quantitative data and figures on education for entrepreneurship is, in most countries, still very limited. This paper seeks to provide a picture of the current situation in Italy at the University level, identifying the entrepreneurship chairs and activities promoted inside the 78 Italian Universities. The overall goal is to reach a better understanding of the nature and scope of the existing measures and programmes.

In search of an integrated framework of business longevity

Even if the domain of business longevity has been enriched by the multidisciplinary nature of approaches used to investigate the phenomenon, the lack of a unifying perspective has impeded systematic research and caused definitional ambiguity. The main aim of this special issue is to extend existing knowledge on business longevity by integrating theoretical and empirical studies that adopt different approaches and perspectives. This is essential in order to identify the key factors of long-term success and the effects of longevity on firm performance. The multifaceted nature of business longevity research is mirrored in the five articles included in this special issue, that offer different and interesting perspectives for the investigation of the domain.

Italian Universities and the Third Mission: A Longitudinal Analysis of Organizational and Educational Evolution towards the ‘Entrepreneurial University’

This paper examines the diffusion of entrepreneurial activities among Italian universities, the evolution of the organizational models implemented to facilitate such activities and the commitment of the universities to the Third Mission of social and economic development. As previous analyses have shown, Italian universities have only recently moved towards the valorisation and exploitation of their scientific knowledge. In contrast to the varied and in some cases openly hostile attitudes of the past, there now seems to be greater acceptance of and a more positive approach towards entrepreneurship. Many universities have introduced innovations both in the organizational processes and activities of scientific research and in the management of research results. Because empirical evidence is very limited, the authors have used a longitudinal analysis to contribute to debate on the subject, with a discussion of the evolution of universities currently engaged in such activities and identification of possible changes in their cultures.

Attractiveness of European Higher Education in Entrepreneurship: A Strategic Marketing Framework

Major steps are currently being taken to make Europe an attractive destination for foreign students willing to increase their competencies and skills. They include the creation of a comparable structure of study courses; the mutual recognition of diplomas; the assessment of academic institutions and programs based on common quality standards; the granting of financial incentives for geographical mobility of students and staff; and, more recently, the adoption of a strategic marketing approach. Significant efforts are in fact aimed to create a clear European “identity” in higher education, by improving the availability and accessibility of information on studying in Europe and by enhancing the attractiveness, profile, visibility and image of European higher education worldwide. Coherently with the Lisbon Strategy – whose aim was to make the European Union «the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion» by 2010 – a great emphasis has been given to the promotion of the European Union as an educational destination and a centre of excellence at world level. In particular, within the Erasmus Mundus Programme1 several projects have been financed with the aim of promoting and rising awareness of the European higher education sector. Furthermore, within the Erasmus Mundus Global Promotion Project (GPP), a European brand – “Study in Europe” – has been built upon perceived strengths and with the aim to overcome negative perceptions; a web portal has

Turismo internazionale ed effetto made in : l'influenza dell'immagine Paese sulla soddisfazione turistica e le intenzioni post-visita

Questo studio propone un modello di ricerca finalizzato ad indagare la relazione esistente tra le diverse componenti dell’immagine Paese - valutate a livello generale (general country image) e con riferimento agli attributi turistici (tourism destination image) e alle produzioni nazionali (product-country image) - la soddisfazione turistica e le intenzioni post-visita in termini di fedelta attesa e propensione all’acquisto delle produzioni nazionali. Il framework analitico e stato testato su un campione di turisti internazionali intercettati al termine della propria visita in Italia. Sulla base dei risultati, vengono discusse le principali implicazioni di ricerca e fornite indicazioni utili per la gestione dell’immagine Paese da parte degli enti pubblici che si occupano di promozione turistica e delle imprese del made in.

Assessing the Entrepreneurial Orientation of University Departments. A Comparative Study Between Italy and Spain

This paper aims at empirically measuring the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of university departments and the impact it has on their ability to generate patents and spin-offs from research. Moving from a recent operazionalization of universities’ EO developed by a group of scholars in Canada, we used a web-based questionnaire to collect information from 206 heads of department of Italian and Spanish universities. Through a multiple regression analysis we assessed the relationship between departments’ EO and performance, expressed in terms of patents and spin-offs. Our findings show that the EO significantly affects the ability of university departments to generate patents and spin-offs. However, not all the dimensions we used to operationalize the EO play the same role. In this sense, our study shows that much more attention should be paid to the context-specific conditions, that can definitively affect the results and the relationships between the investigated variables. Implications, limitations and future improvements of the research are discussed.

“C’era una volta…”. Racconti d’imprese storiche della manifattura campana

Purpose of the paper : The main aim of this paper is to analyze the content of the stories of some long-lived companies in order to identify recurring elements and examine the rhetoric used in the narrative. Methodology : The empirical research is based on the statistical-lexical analysis of twelve stories of manufacturing firms belonging to an association of historical family firms called “I Centenari”. The text of the stories, told by the voice of the entrepreneurs, was analyzed by using a software. Findings : Our analysis shows a significant similarity between the stories. All the stories are built on three key narrative themes: the story of the family; the story of the business in which it is involved; the elements capable of shaping the identity of the family. Research limits : The main limitation of the study relates to the number and characteristics of the firms involved. They are all manufacturing firms and all from the same region. Furthermore, the study focused only on the content of the stories, ignoring other perspectives, such as that related to the marketing potential of the stories themselves or the involvement of other stakeholders. Practical implications : From the experience narrated by long-lived family firms it is possible to draw valuable insights for the enhancement of longevity in a marketing-oriented perspective. Originality of the paper : The literature that uses the story as a tool for researching on organizational dynamics has never focused on the analysis of the precise elements shared by the stories of long-lived firms. The present study is the first with such an objective. Italian Obiettivo del pape r: L’obiettivo del presente lavoro e analizzare il contenuto delle storie di alcune imprese longeve al fine di identificare gli elementi ricorrenti ed esaminare la retorica utilizzata nel ripercorrere le vicende centenarie che le caratterizzano. Metodologia : La ricerca empirica si basa sull’analisi statistico-lessicale di dodici storie d’imprese manifatturiere appartenenti all’Associazione Aziende Storiche Familiari Campane “I Centenari”. Le storie, raccontate dalla viva voce dei protagonisti attuali delle imprese, sono state trascritte e il testo analizzato con l’ausilio di un software. Risultati : L’analisi condotta evidenzia una significativa similarita tra le storie. Tutti i racconti sono costruiti su tre essenziali temi narrativi: le vicende della famiglia; le vicende del business in cui essa e coinvolta; gli elementi in grado di plasmare l’identita della famiglia imprenditoriale. Limiti della ricerca : Il limite principale dello studio attiene alla numerosita e alle caratteristiche delle imprese coinvolte. Si tratta esclusivamente d’imprese manifatturiere e tutte campane. Inoltre, viene privilegiata l’analisi dei contenuti dei racconti, trascurando altre prospettive, come quella legata alle potenzialita di marketing dei racconti stessi o al coinvolgimento di altri stakeholder. Implicazioni pratiche : Dal vissuto narrato dalle imprese familiari longeve e possibile trarre spunti preziosi per la valorizzazione della longevita in ottica marketing-oriented. Originalita del lavoro : La letteratura che utilizza il racconto come strumento di ricerca sulle dinamiche aziendali non si e mai soffermata sull’analisi puntuale degli elementi che accomunano le storie di imprese longeve. Il presente studio costituisce il primo con siffatto obiettivo.