Sustainability Oriented Yachting Enterprises: Theoretical Considerations and Empirical Evidence from Marche Region

In recent years the global economic crisis and the emergence of the paradigm of sustainability in the world of consumption also involves an industry apparently free from these dynamics such as yachting, changing the competitive environment. Even Italian companies, leading manufacturers with creativity and technical skills, face new challenges on the one hand related to the supply system, which require significant technical innovations, and to the relationship with the customer, increasingly driven by issues of sustainability in consumption processes. Describing the relationship between the yachting industry and sustainability, this paper attempts to answer the following research questions by analyzing a sample of 30 Italian companies: - What is the role and the degree of awareness that these entrepreneurs show with respect to sustainability issues? (Cultural dimension) - What sustainability policies they adopt? (Behavioral dimension) - What is the impact of adopted sustainability policies adopted on strategic management? Despite the limited number of firms included in our sample, this study shows the need for major steps toward a full awareness of entrepreneurs, and the need to grasp the opportunities related to the current changes in global demand of yachts.