This paper investigates the role of business associations (BAs) in promoting inter-firm collaboration, in particular through the use of the network contract (NC) – a particular type of formal collaboration recently introduced in Italy. The analysis reveals that BAs can favor and promote inter-firm collaboration in two ways: directly, being formally involved in a NC and indirectly, through a number of initiatives (eg. matching meetings, workshops and so on), acting as facilitators of forms of inter-firm collaboration and, specifically, of NCs. Moreover, analysis shows that the presence of a BA can influence the network contract’s effects and improve local entrepreneurs’ attitude towards collaboration and networking. business associations, joint ventures, franchising contracts), there is a quite recent new juridical instrument named “network contract” which records a steady increase in usage among enterprises (Cafaggi, 2010; Cuffaro, 2010). From its introduction in 2009, now there are almost 700 contracts involving about 3500 organizations (Unioncamere, 2013). Designed by the Italian Government to favor contractual networks among small and medium-sized enterprises and increase their level of innovation and competitiveness, the contract has attracted also different types of organizations and additional goals have been attributed to it in practice (Aureli, DelBaldo, 2011; Rapporto Unicredit, 2011; Cafaggi, 2011). For example, it may gather no-profit organizations and other type of institutions such as charitable bank foundations, cooperatives, universities, consortia, entrepreneurial associations, chambers of commerce, together with traditional for profit enterprises. Moreover, in some cases contracts have been assigned to pursue environmental protection, improve the work culture of a territory, create new job opportunities, in addition to promote network’s members development and profitability. With these premises, authors aim to verify if and how the presence of one or more institutional subjects among network’s participants influences objectives’ nature and results achieved by the network contract. In details we question: Is the presence of institutional actors correlated to the existence of social objectives? Does the presence of institutional actors influence the achievement of formal objectives? In details, we aim to: a) classify formal networks’ objectives and evaluate the presence of social objectives b) weigh the presence of institutions compared to for profit organizations; d) evaluate the achievement of networks’ goals.

The role of business associations in promoting networking. The Italian case of the “network contracts”

DEL BALDO, MARA;CIAMBOTTI, MASSIMO;CESARONI, FRANCESCA MARIA
2014

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of business associations (BAs) in promoting inter-firm collaboration, in particular through the use of the network contract (NC) – a particular type of formal collaboration recently introduced in Italy. The analysis reveals that BAs can favor and promote inter-firm collaboration in two ways: directly, being formally involved in a NC and indirectly, through a number of initiatives (eg. matching meetings, workshops and so on), acting as facilitators of forms of inter-firm collaboration and, specifically, of NCs. Moreover, analysis shows that the presence of a BA can influence the network contract’s effects and improve local entrepreneurs’ attitude towards collaboration and networking. business associations, joint ventures, franchising contracts), there is a quite recent new juridical instrument named “network contract” which records a steady increase in usage among enterprises (Cafaggi, 2010; Cuffaro, 2010). From its introduction in 2009, now there are almost 700 contracts involving about 3500 organizations (Unioncamere, 2013). Designed by the Italian Government to favor contractual networks among small and medium-sized enterprises and increase their level of innovation and competitiveness, the contract has attracted also different types of organizations and additional goals have been attributed to it in practice (Aureli, DelBaldo, 2011; Rapporto Unicredit, 2011; Cafaggi, 2011). For example, it may gather no-profit organizations and other type of institutions such as charitable bank foundations, cooperatives, universities, consortia, entrepreneurial associations, chambers of commerce, together with traditional for profit enterprises. Moreover, in some cases contracts have been assigned to pursue environmental protection, improve the work culture of a territory, create new job opportunities, in addition to promote network’s members development and profitability. With these premises, authors aim to verify if and how the presence of one or more institutional subjects among network’s participants influences objectives’ nature and results achieved by the network contract. In details we question: Is the presence of institutional actors correlated to the existence of social objectives? Does the presence of institutional actors influence the achievement of formal objectives? In details, we aim to: a) classify formal networks’ objectives and evaluate the presence of social objectives b) weigh the presence of institutions compared to for profit organizations; d) evaluate the achievement of networks’ goals.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11576/2599581
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