Italian Enterprise Research Articles

Supported employment for people with severe mental illness: a pilot study of an Italian social enterprise with a special ingredient

BackgroundPeople with mental disorders are far more likely to be unemployed than the general population. Two internationally recognized, evidence-based models of interventions for employment for people with severe mental health problems are Individual Placement Support and the Clubhouse. In Italy, a common model is the ‘social enterprise’ (SE), which is a programme run by non-profit organisations that help individuals with disabilities to be employed. Despite SEs spread and relevance in Italy, there are no studies about Italian samples. This paper reports on a pilot evaluation of psychosocial and work outcomes of a SE based in Verona, Italy. The study aims to investigate if people with SMI involved in SE job placements may achieve personal recovery and better outcomes over time, and in comparison with a comparable group of users.MethodsThis is a pilot descriptive study with three components. A longitudinal design that comprised a functioning description of 33 SE members with a psychiatric disability in two time-points (when they joined the SE—on average 5 years before the study recruitment, and at the study recruitment—year 2018); and a repeated collection of job details of the 33 members in three time points: 2 years before the recruitment,—year 2016; 1 year before the recruitment – year 2017; and at the recruitment—year 2018. An assessment at the recruitment time—year 2018, of SE users’ satisfaction with the job placement, symptoms, functioning, and quality of life (QoL). A cross-sectional study that compared the 33 SE members at the recruitment time—year 2018, with a matched group of people with the following criteria: living in local supported accommodations, being unemployed and not SE members. The two groups were compared on ratings of psychopathology, functioning, and QoL. Descriptive analyses were done.ResultsAt the recruitment time – year 2018, all SE participants showed a significant better functioning (p < 0.001) than when they joined the SE—when they had been employed for an average of 5 years. In comparison to the matched group, SE members had significantly better functioning (p = 0.001), psychopathology (p = 0.007), and QoL (p = 0.034). According to their SE membership status, participants comprised trainees (21.2%) and employee members (78.8%). Trainees compared to employees had lower autonomies, functioning, QoL and more severe psychopathology. Over the two years prior to study recruitment, trainees showed stable poor autonomies, while employee members showed a variation from average autonomies in the 2 years before the recruitment time – year 2016, to good ones at the recruitment time – year 2018. Over the two years, all SE members set increasing numbers of objectives in all three domains. All SE participants reported high levels of satisfaction with all aspects of the job placement.ConclusionsSE that provides tailored support to assist people to gain employment skills may be an effective component in helping recovery from SMI.

Luigi Buonavolya’s Opera Company Paradox in Odesa: Stage Success Against the Background of Theatrical Management Problems

The relevance of the paper. The activity of the Italian private theatrical management in Odesa in the early period of the city history is an important page of its cultural progress, connected to extraordinary influence on the artistic life of people from European countries, including Italians. At that time the cultural and artistic relations between Odesa and the Italian centers of theatrical life such as Bologna, Florence, and later — Milan, began to develop actively. With a large European diaspora, Odesa created European samples in many areas of urban life — in everyday life, social behavior, fashion, education, art. Italian opera occupied a prominent place in the theatrical life of the young Black Sea city almost since the very theatre opening. It became a certain element of its cultural development for many years. The structure of the theatrical engagement, ways of forming the opera repertoire, requirements for vocal performance, forms of the artistes’ and musicians’ communication with the audience developed during the first opera managements, included the L. Buonavolya’s enterprises, in the main characteristics.The objectives of the study are to reconstruct the L. Buonavolya’s creative biography, to investigate his professional activity in the context of his Italian troupe scenic success in conditions of musical and theatrical life formation, foreign engagement becoming in Odesa.The methodology involves the semiotic-hermeneutic method (to analyze the peculiarities of scenic directing, the specifics of musical-critical thought, the audience reactions and preferences as a text of culture and its hermeneutic comprehension); bio-bibliographical method (for clarifying and combining the facts of Italian singers’, impresario’s life and creative activity in Italy and abroad, in particular, in Ukraine); cultural-historical method (allows to study L. Buonavolya Italian troupe scenic activities as a social phenomenon, that contributed to the dissemination of Italian opera achievements in the local musical and theatrical environment).Findings and conclusions. The activity of one of the first theatrical managements in Odesa theatre history, L. Buonavolya’s management is investigated. The music and theatre centers in the Apennines, where the first Odesa Italian enterprises formed, the way and route of the artistes’ movement, their personal composition, the scenic performances experience in the previous period have been considered.L. Buonavolya’s biography has been studied as well as his work as an opera librettist in Italy and abroad. His connections with the European musical and theatrical environment have been investigated.The organizational components of management have been revealed. The entrepreneur and city authority relations legal regulations shortcomings, theatre financing and its material supporting, necessary conditions for artistes’ and musicians’ residence, troupe stage performances providing negative factors have been shown.Financial subsidies to the Italian enterprise from the city and regional authorities, caused by necessity to preserve the “European” socio-cultural environment in Odesa, inhabited by people from Western Europe, the local aristocracy desire to simulate the European fashion samples and to reproduce the European “high world” representatives’ everyday life traditions have been verified.The opera repertoire is systematized, G. Rossini’s and his contemporaries’ works predominance in its structure have been established. Based on publications in the local and Italian press, the vocal characteristics of the troupe soloists’ voices, their artistic mergers, popularity among the local audience reason have been reflected. Mutual dependence between the architectural transformations in the interior of the theatre and changes in the social structure of Odesa theatrical audience, which was, first of all, connected with the traditions of theatrical activity, initiated by M. Vorontsov and his environment have been investigated.

Covid-19 and the Search for the Common Good: The Case of Parmon Spa (Italy)

The Covid-19 pandemic marks an extraordinary global crisis unseen in this last century, with its rapid spread worldwide and associated mortality burden, which is leading to profound economic consequences. In such an unprecedented scenario, most firms were not ready to deal with the resulting significant large-scale perturbations. Challenges for firms in the sector of the production of essential medical devices were among the most urgent. This study aims to investigate the behavior of a medium-size Italian enterprise that during this crisis, by converting part of its production line to the production of masks, undertook a path characterized by an ethics mindset, showing how its potentialities can also be used for the aim of common good. The case study is also presented to demonstrate that leadership ethical values and constant connection to the entrepreneurial ecosystem, maintaining a positive culture therein, have contributed toward a common good choice.

Analysis of the Work Productivity and Costs of a Stationary Chipper Applied to the Harvesting of Olive Tree Pruning for Bio-Energy Production

Pruning residues could represent an important biomass resources for energy production. Only in Italy it has been estimated that an annual quantity of biomass of over 2600 kt of dry matter could be obtained from olive residues. Several machines developed for pruning harvesting are available in the market, most of which are tractor-driven, while limited knowledge is available on performance, quality of work and costs of harvesting logistics based on stationary chippers. The aim of the present paper is to analyze machine performance of a forestry stationary chipper applied to pruning harvesting for what concerns work productivity, quality of the comminuted product and harvesting operating costs. This system is actually applied by Fiusis Company, an Italian enterprise which manages a biomass power plant exclusively powered by olive trees’ pruning residues, and it has never been analyzed in literature. The results obtained showed consistent work productivity, which resulted the highest ever found in olive pruning harvesting systems and equal to 5.23 ± 0.81 tdm·h−1. This high work productivity allowed also to obtain a little economic gain from a matter, which is actually considered a problem for olive groves’ owners and not a potential source of income. In particular, the use of a stationary chipper seemed very efficient in olive groves with a consistent amount of wooden residues to be processed and with big branches not harvestable by the most common towed pruning harvester. In addition, the stationary chipper has the advantage of avoiding the preliminary raking operation, which results in reduced costs for the farmer.

Sustainable Bulk-Packaging System for Sugar Shipping: Case Study of the Enterprise Leader in Europe

From 2002 to today, world sugar production has steadily increased due to higher food consumption and biofuel production. Furthermore, in the European Union, the CAP 2014–2020 new reform abolished the system of production and sugar exportation quotas by 1 October 2017. Therefore, since that date, the international sugar exchange has significantly increased in light of these new structural and political–economic conditions. Thus, companies offering a new bulk-packaging technology for international shipping could increase their market success. At the same time, the possibility for the same buyers (from sugar producers to logistic agencies) to use a safer and more sustainable packaging system has become important for economic and environmental cost reduction. The present study aims at presenting the experience of a small Italian enterprise that became a European leader in this sector due to its patents concerning a new, more efficient and sustainable product for bulk sugar transport in containers. This technological innovation represents not only a noteworthy sustainable business strategy for becoming more competitive in the market, but also a system for ensuring more effective sugar transport, mainly for the reduction in management costs (up to 65%) for buyers.

Acting as a benefit corporation and a B Corp to responsibly pursue private and public benefits. The case of Paradisi Srl (Italy)

Benefit Corporations and B Corps represent alternative models of enterprise that bridge the for-profit and not-for-profit model (hybrid organizations). Italy is the first country outside the US to pass Benefit Corporation legislation and introduce the Società Benefit (Law No 208, 2015), namely for profit companies formally allowed by law to pursue a CSR mission, intended to achieve general and/or specific public benefits. Starting from these premises, the aim of this study is to evaluate the motivations for and benefits of becoming a B Corporation through an empirical case study focussed on an Italian small and medium-sized enterprise (Paradisi Srl) transformed into Benefit in 2016. Findings point out the efficacy of this choice taking into account the enhancement of a socially responsible commitment to CSR practices and the creation of a public benefit, as well as the improvements in accountability, transparency and stakeholder engagement.

Evaluation of labour productivity in Russian and Italian enterprises

A substantial body of economic research proves the need and the potential for a significant increase in the labour productivity in Russian enterprises, but does not examine the reasons behind its low values. In this context, examination of foreign experience to determine the factors behind low labour productivity and identify the reserves to increase it appears to be relevant. The paper compares the indicators of labour productivity considering the cases of a Russian and an Italian enterprise with similar production. Methodologically the paper relies on the scientific management in the part of factors affecting the efficiency of using personnel. The paper attempts to integrate a Russian approach to measuring labour productivity based on indicators of output and labour-intensity, and foreign approaches that emphasise the efficiency of exploiting all company resources. The principal methods of the research include comparative analysis of labour conditions and indicators of labour productivity, case study, interview with key company decision-makers. The objects under consideration are chosen on the basis of their similarity in terms of goods produced and situation in the markets of these goods. Comparative analysis of the number of employees and labour productivity revealed that the Russian enterprise lags behind the Italian one in labour productivity; at this, it clearly has reserves to improve its position. Among the main reasons behind lower productivity, the authors list poor technological and managerial competences, production automation level, insufficient use of possibilities to outsource non-core activities, and in some cases, specifics of environmental and climatic conditions. As a result of the study, the authors formulate recommendations for the Russian enterprise, which, given the unification of the approaches to labour productivity management in different countries, will allow utilizing the reserves of increasing it more efficiently.

Enterprise and innovation policy in Italy: an overview of the recent facts

1. Introduction The Italian enterprise and innovation policy over the past 20 years has undergone some major changes. The most important one is related to the institutional change that has witnessed the strengthening of the EU and the regional governments (Regions), and has required the central state to reinvent its role (Bellandi and Caloffi, 2012, 2016). Indeed, after the constitutional reform of 2001, Italy is a quasi-federal system in which a number of competencies, including a large part...

Combining survey and administrative data in Italian business surveys

The main Italian enterprise surveys are shifting from a simple traditional data collection approach to a more complex one. This new approach is based on survey database management involving the recasting of many data sources (including administrative data). The reasons for utilising administrative data are: improved timeliness, increased precision and a reduction in the statistical burden. In our paper we focus on the Italian SCI survey (Sistema dei Conti delle Imprese, i.e., Businesses accounts survey). A number of innovations have been introduced into this survey over the last few years and remain ongoing. Since 2005, final economic estimates are obtained combining various data sources, primarily administrative data. The integration procedure involves a number of methodological solutions. In this paper we deal with the problem of non-response, particularly unit non-response. At first methodological issues, research and applicative trends in the NSI (National Statistical Institute) are briefly reviewed. Afterwards alternative means of estimating business data using administrative records and integrating sources are applied to the SCI survey data. The integration procedure is presented and its impact on the improvement of final data quality is verified.

Industrial policies in a Marshallian-based multilevel perspective

ABSTRACTDrawing on a multilevel framework of Marshallian external economies, we present a perspective on the foundations of enterprise policies across different levels of government. In so doing, we add complexity to the traditional approach to industrial districts, which often disregards the role of supra-local policies. The argument is based on the idea that the main task of policy-makers is not just to provide generic public goods for communities of people defined by administrative boundaries, but also to support the provision of public goods that strengthen the competitiveness and innovative capacity of social and productive systems functioning at various territorial scales, from that of compact centres of industry to the nation-state and beyond. We apply this multilevel framework to the interpretation of the Italian enterprise policies.

A management framework for organisational networks: a case study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to draw on the experiences of a real company to develop a framework of management processes for an organizational network model that has enabled a network of enterprises to develop new levels of organizational flexibility, particularly with regards to improving the network's capacity to innovate.Design/methodology/approachA longitudinal case study of an Italian enterprise network forms the basis of the analysis described in this paper.FindingsThe key operational and organizational activities of the principal agent in a novel organizational network model known as the Virtual Development Office (VDO) are identified and discussed.Research limitations/implicationsThe (VDO) concept is identified as a realistic and practical means of leveraging the competences of an enterprise network to achieve competitive advantage. However, more empirical data are required before the concepts described herein can be generalised more widely.Practical implicationsThe small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) is a major contributor to the European economy. However, the constraints that these organizations operate under mean that they are often at a competitive disadvantage. The organizational network model outlined in this paper can assist in leveraging their capacity to innovate.Originality/valueResearch in collaborative networks has become increasingly important given the significant impact it can have on competitiveness. This paper demonstrates a framework of management processes for a novel organizational network model that facilitates collaboration amongst networks of SMEs.

Federated Identity Management systems in e-government: the case of Italy

Federated Identity Management (FIdM) systems are at the heart of any online service in a public, private or hybrid autonomous cooperating system. This paper reviews and compares several existing approaches for building FIdM systems in the specific sector of e-government by showing Identity Management (IdM) schemes employed by several countries representatives of different realities by size, geographical location and Public Administration (PA) traditions. The paper analyses then the case of Italy by introducing the ongoing effort for defining and developing a nationwide e-government Enterprise Architecture to guarantee a flexible approach for integrated application services, respecting local and central administrations’ autonomy. The paper finally focuses on the FIdM aspects employed within the Italian Enterprise Architecture.

Impact of innovative ILHYPOS supercapacitors on a fuel cell vehicle

Electrochemical capacitors (SC) are receiving increasing attention as possible enabling technologies in applications where high power is required for short times, such as in hybrid vehicles (HEV) and uninterruptible power systems (UPS). Moreover, there are some applications using fuel cells (FC) as power generators, whose energy efficiency is greatly reduced whenever FC power variations are significant. In 2005 the European Commission (EC) funded the ILHYPOS project, mainly aimed at the research and development of innovative SCs with highly improved specific performances (specific energy and power), and based on environmentally acceptable materials, such as ionic liquids, a novel electrolyte class of materials, with a working voltage in excess of 5 V. The improvements of SC performances were pursued also studying new electrode materials and/or cell designs: specific energy in excess of 40 Wh/kg, based only on active material weights have been estimated, in configurations with electronic conducting polymers or activated carbons in asymmetric configurations. As part of the Project ILHYPOS, the possible impact of the studied SCs has been evaluated by means of simulations in defined applications, such as those in fuel cell vehicles (FCV) and UPS, powered by fuel cells. The simulations for vehicle applications have been performed by using conventional standardized and real duty cycles. The sizing of the ILHYPOS SCs has been carried out with developed mathematical models and applied to a FC hybrid electric van, a test prototype developed by an Italian small enterprise. This paper first highlights the most recent achievements of the ILHYPOS Project and, then, presents the impacts of the developed SCs with respect to commercial SCs and a drivetrain with and without SCs.

The performance of Italian industrial districts and large enterprise areas in the 1990s

On the basis of economic and population census data and of foreign trade statistics, in this paper we analyse the changes that occurred in the 1990s in the different local production systems that make up the mosaic of the Italian economy. The results of the study show that personal and household goods and light engineering, often made in industrial districts, contributed positively to the Italian balance of trade. Moreover, employment and other economic and social indicators show that industrial district provinces performed better than large enterprise provinces, so refuting the usual interpretation that district small and medium-sized enterprises are responsible for the recent slow down of the Italian economy. Some cues for policy intervention close the paper.

Reflections on Global Business and Modern Italian Enterprise by a Stubborn “Chandlerian”

It is perfectly correct to place the work of Alfred Chandler at the center of a discussion of globalization as seen by business historians. No other author in our field of studies has offered us so much both in terms of research results as well as tools for the analysis and definition of the global characteristics of the modern large enterprise. It is enough in this respect to consider his last book,Scale and Scope, where the author examined the history of six hundred firms (the top two hundred in the U.S., the U.K., and Germany) for the period from the 1880s to the 1940s.

Empire And Papacy: The Last Struggle

Inthe early months of 1327 the communities of the Angevin kingdom of Sicily were ordered to send representatives to Naples, there to discuss means of opposing ‘the lord Lewis, duke of Bavaria:qui in Italiam transire disposuit et regnum Sicilie invadere, servans antiquum odium belli et interitus Corradini.’ The reference to the last Hohenstaufen in this contemporary comment on Lewis' Italian enterprise is at first sight surprising. During the half-century following Conradin's execution the prestige of the empire in German hands had fallen steeply in the estimation of western Europe; all the activity of Dante's emperor could not disguise that fact. From time to time the Angevins at Naples urged the abolition of the institution, as something of which the usefulness was now outworn. Other solutions were being talked of, such as the setting up of a separate hereditary kingdom in Lombardy or the transference by election or papal provision of the imperial title to the ruling house of France. Perhaps too much importance has been attributed to some of these schemes, though there is no reason to doubt the seriousness of French ambitions to acquire as much as possible of the western possessions of the empire. But their frequent recurrence, together with the known weakness of the German kingship, does indicate a climate uncongenial to a repetition of the themes of Hohenstaufen imperialism by a German ruler in the third decade of the fourteenth century. Consequently Lewis' conflict with the papacy has an anachronistic air. Long ago Gregorovius cast a stereotype destined to wear well, when he wrote that ‘this afterpiece’ was saved from being ‘an utterly unbearable caricature of a great past’ only by the ‘progress of human thought’ with which it was associated.