Massimo Battaglia

The diffusion of CSR initiatives among SMEs in industrial clusters: some findings from Italian experiences

This paper shows the results of a survey carried out in two Tuscan industrial clusters and aims at analysing the adoption of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives by local small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in favour of employees, suppliers and consumers. In particular, we have analysed both the role of local stakeholders in stimulating the different initiatives and the issues that SMEs consider relevant for their business strategies. This study represents an innovative contribution to the research concerning the relationship between SMEs and CSR, and better defines the role played by the connections existing among local actors involved in an industrial cluster (in order to stimulate and promote CSR). Finally, the paper evaluates the types of correlations existing between the adoption of CSR initiatives and economic performance.

Sustainable Tourism Planning And Consultation: Evidence From The Project Inter.Eco.Tur

Expansion of territories targeted by travellers and growth of attendance rates make tourism sector of significant interest for the implementation of policies on environmental protection at the European Union (EU) level. The need to protect local natural heritage, to integrate tourism industry development policies with the ones pertaining to other sectors that characterize a given territory and to enhance the overall environmental performance are some of the priorities that may appear conflicting at times. This paper discusses a method of analysis and planning aiming to promote potential directives of local governance. This method, representing the outcome of a process coordinated and shared across territories, is oriented towards the sustainable development of the area and refers to the implementation of integrated policies, The Interreg Eco Tourism (INTER.ECO.TUR) project, co-financed by the European Commission under the EUs INTERREG IIIC, provided the research with a useful case study to analyse the dynamics of sustainable tourism development within the European Mediterranean area. The debate of its results offers evidences on the possibility to develop such a governance process effectively, providing insight into an assessment methodology enriched by a clear-cut analysis of its applied experiences.

Accidents at Work and Costs Analysis: A Field Study in a Large Italian Company

Accidents at work are still a heavy burden in social and economic terms, and action to improve health and safety standards at work offers great potential gains not only to employers, but also to individuals and society as a whole. However, companies often are not interested to measure the costs of accidents even if cost information may facilitate preventive occupational health and safety management initiatives. The field study, carried out in a large Italian company, illustrates technical and organisational aspects associated with the implementation of an accident costs analysis tool. The results indicate that the implementation (and the use) of the tool requires a considerable commitment by the company, that accident costs analysis should serve to reinforce the importance of health and safety prevention and that the economic dimension of accidents is substantial. The study also suggests practical ways to facilitate the implementation and the moral acceptance of the accounting technology.

Spatial Effects of Labour Policies Promoted in Italy from 1996 to 2006: An Analysis in the EU Context

One of the most important economic and social facts concerning the European Union consists in the mismatch among its regions in terms of unemployment rates. The paper aims at examining and measuring the efficiency of Italian policies for labour market carried out in the last 10 years, in terms of reduction in the regional disparities in comparison with the whole European distribution of unemployment. We question whether these policies have been successful or the territorial dimension has still a relevant role on the unemployment in Italy. We try to answer to this question by calculating the Theil Index using data from 1996 to 2006 on unemployment and participation from Eurostat at NUTS 2 level, comparing Italian data with those of other EU countries. Our results show that Italy has still a prominent role in the geographical disparities among regions and that its contribution to the geographical concentration of unemployment is still high (especially if we consider female and youth unemployment).

Greening competitiveness for hotels and restaurants

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a survey-based study performed on Italian SMEs in the “hotel, restaurant, cafe” (HORECA) sector, aimed at investigating the relationship between pro-environmental strategies and competitiveness and how such strategies can be exploited to outperform competitors. Design/methodology/approach The survey involved 317 Italian SMEs. Regression models have been developed to analyze the causal relationship between three dimensions of competitiveness (competitive advantage over competitors, customer satisfaction and employees’ motivation), and environmental practices that can be adopted by HORECA SMEs. Findings Top management commitment emerges as a key driver of competitiveness, confirming the strategic relevance of a sound approach to sustainability also in SMEs operating in the tourism sector. Moreover, actions aimed at investing in green food products (e.g. organic food) and awareness campaigns emerge as strong predictors of good business performance. Finally, at managerial level, entrepreneurs and owners evaluate the implementation of internal sustainability monitoring systems as a relevant support to increase their competitive performance. Research limitations/implications Since the results are limited to Italian HORECA businesses, a cross-country comparison could represent a potential improvement of the research. Moreover, since the sector is characterized by the predominance of small and micro firms, specific attention should be devoted to the role played by entrepreneurs’ personal values in shaping business strategies. Originality/value The paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the relationship between SMEs in the tourism sector and the environmental dimension analyzing the link between the adoption of “green” practices and the competitive performance. The results suggest that customer involvement represents an essential pre-requisite to turn sustainability into an opportunity of market distinctiveness and stress the strategic role of the implementation of performance monitoring systems.

Technical assessment and public perception of environmental issues: the case of the Municipality of Pisa

The different approach of specialists and general public to environmental topics has often led to contrasting positions. After decades of strong debate, however, there seems to be a growing agreement on the need for overcoming a mere contraposition in favour of an integration of opinions. This paper aims to contribute to the topic by shifting the setting into the urban environment, through the case of Pisa Municipality, Italy. It compares the scenarios described by the latest State of the Environment Report – expression of the technical evaluation – with the perception of citizens measured by a direct survey. Results were first used to investigate any disagreements about quality of environmental matrices, entity of pressures exerted on them and characteristics of determinants. They were then used to identify the range where the integration of the two positions might be pursued and finally collect, in view of future policies, indications on locally adoptable key factors and strategies.

Public policies of promotion of CSR amongst SMEs and effects on competitiveness: the case of Tuscany region

Starting in the late 1990s, the European Commission began to promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) principles among firms and public authorities aimed at: 1) safeguarding local communities and workers; 2) stimulating the competitiveness of businesses. This paper describes a study carried out in Tuscany (Italy), aimed at investigating the opinions of local actors on the relationship between CSR and competitiveness, and the effectiveness of local policies that promote CSR. We collected the opinions of SMEs and local authorities through interviews and examined them using the qualitative method of constant comparison. Three focus groups, organised by the regional government of Tuscany, recruited other stakeholders to discuss the results of the interviews and recommended policies to the regional policy maker. The results showed that the various stakeholders essentially agreed on the utility of CSR as a means to increase SME competitiveness and the quality of local areas, however, they also reveal a lack of tools for measuring such effects.

Industrial Clusters and Environmental Management

The “territorial approach” to Environmental Management began in the European context at the end of the Nineties [1, 2, 3]. These experimentations showed the possibility of a new application of the EMAS (Reg. EC/761/2001, modified today in the EC/1221/2009) requirements to territorial contexts in which many similar SMEs are “aggregated”, and not only to a single organization or productive site. This interpretation lead to applications in industrial areas (a group of industrial companies located in a limited and constraintable area), but was not applicable as such to a wider territorial cluster [3, 4].

Efficient and Nice – Urban Sustainability and Quality of Life: The Socioeconomic Perspective

The concept of quality of life has changed in both significance and signifiers in recent years. Global, national, or regional problems have time and time again influenced the quality of life and well-being (Veleardi 2007). A greater knowledge of environmental issues and/or a greater sensitivity regarding certain social issues has led to the consideration of additional elements that can contribute to increasing the quality of life. Following the realization that economic growth is unsustainable (Meadows et al. 1972; IUSN, UNWP, WWF 1980), the concept of quality of life has become strongly linked to that of sustainable growth. In the long term, current needs cannot ignore the effect that satisfaction of them can have on future generations (WCED 1987: Brundtland Report).

Organizational learning through disasters: a multi-utility company’s experience

Purpose Analyzing how and what the local multi-utility AIMAG learned through the 2012 Northern Italy earthquakes, the purpose of this paper is to “normalize” the organizational learning (OL) triggered by disasters. Design/methodology/approach Seven managers who experienced the earthquakes were interviewed. The collected data are supplemented by archival materials. The analysis was conducted based on the 4I model (Crossan et al., 1999), using the qualitative data analysis tool “NVivo.” Findings The earthquakes audited AIMAG’s knowledge repositories, revealing its weakness and strength. When the earthquakes struck, individuals intuited the situations based on their previous experience, interpreting the need to respond to the interruptions and begin recovery immediately. The collective interpretation formed the basis for joint actions, which integrated the group learning at the organizational level. The effective cognition and behavior were instituted to the organization, and the new knowledge was absorbed into the organization’s knowledge repositories awaiting the next audit. Originality/value The concept of “learning through disasters” is advocated. By perceiving disasters as a series of interruptions that may have happened before and may re-occur, the learning is connected to organizations’ past and future through knowledge repositories. In addition, by analyzing data based on the multi-level OL model, the learning triggered by disasters was observed to occur throughout the organization at individual, group and organizational levels, in which routines played a critical linking role.