The role of internal resources in the competitive positioning of Sicilian wine cooperatives

The paper is an original article that uses accounting frameworks to determine what creates a competitive advantage in a cooperative business model. In particular, it investigates the influence of tangible, intangible and financial resources on the business performance of cooperatives operating in the Sicilian wine industry, with the RBV of the firms as a theoretical background. Using a linear regression model, our results show that tangible and financial resources are a source of a sustained competitive advantage. This study fills the gap existing in the strategic management literature related to the role of resources, tangible and intangible, in the cooperative system, providing both theor…

The land grabbing in the international scenario: the role of the EU in land grabbing

The worldwide increase in population and consumption has produced a growing demand for food and energy in the rich and developing Countries. The resulting intensification of land investments, to cope with this need, has in many cases produced investments without transparency rules and it hasn't created real development for local people. The aim of this paper is to identify, through a cluster analysis, homogeneous groups of investor Countries in order to understand the role of the EU Member States in the context of land grabbing. The results show that the strategies adopted by the investors are driven by the need to achieve energy security and reduce CO2 emissions in order to cope with the p…

What is the role of social media in several overtones of CSR communication? The case of the wine industry in the Southern Italian regions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand whether the companies most involved in communicating their responsible behaviour externally are those most active on the social media (SM) platform, with a philanthropic purpose rather than strictly aimed at economic aspects. Design/methodology/approach The authors, first, assess firms’ efforts on the SM platform using the model proposed by Chung et al. (2014), and, second, the authors analyze the content of messages in order to verify what dimensions of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) they contain. A multivariate modelling has been performed in order to verify whether the wineries that take most care to communicate their respons…

Intention of coastal communities to support climate change mitigation policies for fish and marine ecosystem preservation

Purpose This paper aims to assess the willingness of individuals living in coastal communities affected by climate change to financially support mitigation policies towards the preservation of marine ecosystems and fish resources and to identify the key drivers of their behaviour. Design/methodology/approach A survey was carried out involving 994 people living in three main Italian coastal communities. To investigate the main factors affecting Italian coastal communities’ willingness to pay (WTP) to support climate change mitigation measures to protect the marine ecosystem and fishery resources, a Tobit regression model was implemented. Findings The results show that these communities are …

Electric mobility in the Sicilian short food supply chain

This paper is the first study to explore the intention of entrepreneurs operating in the Short Food Supply Chain to adopt electric mobility inside their business. For this purpose, a case study approach was chosen, employing a questionnaire based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the New Ecological Paradigm to investigate the determinants affecting this intentional behaviour. The empirical analysis has been carried out in the city of Palermo (Italy), involving 42 entrepreneurs who participate in farmer's markets. Results show that entrepreneurs with higher levels of intention to introduce sustainable means of transport, such as electric vehicles, are the most concerned about the enviro…

The dynamics of Italian competitive positioning in the Mediterranean Bluefin tuna industry

The bluefin tuna or Thunnus thynnus is one of the widely recognised fish species since ancient times. Italy is the most important players in the international arena, however, the introduction of a system of total allowable catches and other measures established by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, has deeply changed the competitive positioning of Italy. The aim of this study is to perform an analysis of the comparative advantage of Italy by using the relative trade advantage index. Findings reveal that Italy has gained a competitive advantage in the Maltese market and has suffered a loss of the historical competitive advantage in the Japanese one. Results …

What are the effects of sea warming on the fishing industry?

The paper analyses the impact of Mediterranean Sea warming on some species of small pelagic fish (pesce azzurro) in the Italian fishing industry. In particular, through a time series regression model, the research examines the productivity trend in physical terms of target species of small pelagic fish from 1950 to 2016, considering the Mediterranean Sea Surface Temperatures Anomalies as an indicator of sea warming, and the Western Mediterranean Oscillation index and the North Atlantic Oscillation index as proxies of climatic variability. The research results show an evident link between the reduction of fish availability and sea warming, with potential repercussions on the incomes of the e…

Farmers’ Proactive Behaviour An Overview about Theoretical Bases and Factors Affecting Sustainability

This chapter shows a review on the extant literature on the most used socio-psychological theories employed by scholars to investigate this topic. Second, through applying an exploratory case study, carried out on a sample of wineries working in the Canton of Ticino (Switzerland), the present work intends to gather more knowledge about which factors affect wine managers’ behaviour towards the adoption of more sustainable practices into their business. The case study has been preceded by a theoretical contribution based on the two most widespread theories used in research field: Stakeholders Theory (SHT) (Freeman, 1984) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991). The decision to int…

Consumer interest in information regarding novel food technologies in Italy: The case of irradiated foods

Recent food crises and uncertainty regarding food quality have pushed consumers towards a growing need to know more about the foods they purchase, including information related to both food quality and production. This paper identifies the main factors affecting consumer interest in receiving information on food irradiation technology. An online survey was used for research purposes and a total of 392 people, living in Italy, were questioned. Findings revealed that 89.2% of Italian consumers are interested in receiving information on the treatment of foods with ionizing radiation aimed at raising product safety. In particular, this interest was greater for respondents who reported a high se…

Are coastal communities able to pay for the protection of fish resources impacted by climate change?

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine inhabitants’ motivation and their willingness to pay to mitigate the impact of climate change on fish resources. Willingness to pay was tested empirically using survey data from 333 inhabitants of Sciacca, a fishing community in Sicily, Italy, which has the island’s second largest fishing fleet. People’s attitudes towards climate change, their degree of involvement in the issue, and their concerns about this phenomenon’s potential impact on the marine environment are the key factors affecting their willingness to pay. It was further found that respondents are willing to pay an average of €6.81 per month to support mitigation policies in the f…

ITALIAN COASTAL COMMUNITIES’ WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR THE MITIGATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS ON THE FISHING INDUSTRY

Drivers affecting the adoption and effectiveness of social media investments: The Italian wine industry case

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to identify distinct organisational models in a sample of firms operating in the wine industry; and second, to identify the main internal resources that characterise those firms most motivated towards the adoption of social media (SM) tools and those that perceive SM investment as more effective. Design/methodology/approach The empirical investigation was carried out by administering an online questionnaire to a sample of 82 Sicilian wineries. The principal component analysis was used to identify latent factors that drive managers to invest in SM technologies and to measure the impact perceived by managers. Subsequently, a cluster analys…

IL progetto Enernetmob per una maggiore sostenibilità dei trasporti nella filiera corta

Il progetto EnerNETMob “MeditErraNEan inteRregional electromobility NETworks for interMOdal and interurBan low carbon transport systems”, co-finanziato dal programma europeo InterregMed, si propone di progettare, testare e migliorare piani di elettromobilità sostenibili che collegano città e regioni nell’area del Mediterraneo seguendo standard comuni e misure politiche, finalizzate alla riduzione delle emissioni di gas serra nell’atmosfera. EnerNETMob promuove, infatti, la condivisione e la promozione della mobilità sostenibile e l’intermodalità terra-mare, attraverso l’implementazione di reti pilota interurbane e interregionali di veicoli elettrici anche co-alimentati da fonti di energia r…

Label Style and Color Contribution to Explain Market Price Difference in Italian Red Wines Sold in the Chinese Wine Market

This study employs a hedonic price methodology to investigate the implicit price of individual labelling characteristics of Italian red wines sold in the Chinese market. Our results highlight the most important quality attributes (extrinsic and intrinsic) given in the label capable to explain price difference. In particular, reveal significant premium price for wine origin, identified in particular through the DOC/DOCG appellation given in the label, and for clean labels or labels with particular designs. On the contrary, a price discount has been revealed for Italian wines produced with local grape varieties and with a label characterised by warm colors. These results, partly in disagreeme…