Giorgio Mion and Renzo Beghini
This paper aims to present and discuss an interdisciplinary educational approach to business ethics, based on a virtue ethics framework and the common good paradigm. This approach…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present and discuss an interdisciplinary educational approach to business ethics, based on a virtue ethics framework and the common good paradigm. This approach addresses the challenges that businesses face in building legitimacy and creating shared values.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a case study of an experience of an interdisciplinary postgraduate course, discussing both the design of the program and its first results.
Findings
The paper focuses on the theoretical and practical reasons for the interdisciplinary nature of business ethics education and contributes to the literature on business ethics education as well as training and educational practices in academic and professional contexts.
Practical implications
This paper can positively influence business education practices by sharing a replicable educational model and fostering virtuous practices that contribute to renewing the perception of the purpose of firms.
Social implications
Improving business ethics education can positively affect the social performance of firms contributing to the common good.
Originality
The paper presents an innovative interdisciplinary educational program that, to the best of our knowledge of the current literature, can be consider an original contribution.
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Vania Vigolo, Giorgio Mion and Patrícia Moura e Sá
Responsible management of water resources is critical owing to its effects on the environment and society. This study aims to address customer perceptions of a water utility…
Abstract
Purpose
Responsible management of water resources is critical owing to its effects on the environment and society. This study aims to address customer perceptions of a water utility during a severe environmental crisis that affected northern Italy and aims to deepen the understanding of the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR), perceived crisis response and corporate reputation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study draws on legitimacy theory and attribution theory, adopting a quantitative design. In detail, a moderated mediation model is used to investigate the direct effect of CSR on reputation, the mediating effect of perceived crisis response on the relationship between CSR and reputation and the moderating effect of blame attribution on the relationship between CSR and perceived crisis response. In addition, the evolution of the crisis event and its management is traced through the analysis of the water utilities’ sustainability reports published since the beginning of the crisis.
Findings
The findings show that CSR affects corporate reputation directly and via perceived crisis response. In addition, CSR improves perceived crisis response, especially when an organization is held responsible for a crisis. The analysis of the CSR report allows for understanding the evolution of CSR policies of water utilities, shifting attention from a merely informative role of sustainability disclosure to a more comprehensive approach to perfluoroalkyl substances risks in the struggle of contributing to sustainable development. Theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.
Practical implications
The findings suggest some managerial implications about the usefulness of adopting CSR for crisis management and, furthermore, the importance of communicating CSR policies to all stakeholders overall – the customers of public utilities.
Originality/value
This paper focuses on the relationship between CSR, reputation and blame attribution. Literature on this topic is still scarce overall in the field of public utilities. Furthermore, this study is relevant because it faces one of the major European environmental crises that affected the water sector and provides helpful insights for all public utility sectors and, more generally, for environmental crisis management.
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Giorgio Mion and Angelo Bonfanti
Higher education institutions draw up codes of ethics, but in several countries there are no standards to follow. Most universities have autonomy and can freely draw up their…
Abstract
Purpose
Higher education institutions draw up codes of ethics, but in several countries there are no standards to follow. Most universities have autonomy and can freely draw up their codes of ethics in terms of structure and content. The purpose of this paper is to understand the main ethics issues that universities identify in their codes of ethics and what activities they implement to respond to these issues toward appropriate educational management of their institutions in ethical terms.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was performed through content analysis of codes of ethics of Italian public universities (64 codes), and may be considered a single in-depth case study. The main ethics issues and related activities were inductively codified in relation to the research purpose. The four constitutive aspects of business ethics (individual, managerial, organizational and societal ethics) proposed by Melé were chosen as the framework to investigate the main ethical needs and related activities implemented by universities to respond to these ethical issues.
Findings
This research has identified nine main ethical issues and related activities that contribute to guarantee the ethical compliance of universities under the four interrelated aspects different individual behaviors, managerial initiatives, organization strategies and responsibilities toward society. The analysis shows some relevant differences among Italian universities that have important implications in the ethical vision of academic communities and of managerial role in universities.
Practical implications
The research can help managers of higher education institutions to identify the main ethical issues to draw up codes of ethics and to formulate consistent development strategies that are able to improve the conditions of collaboration, work and productive participation in activities for all members of academic communities.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies that connect codes of ethics and higher education. This research brings to light the main ethical issues and related activities that universities can consider to orient their strategic choices toward the public interest as well as educational management improvement.
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Angelo Bonfanti, Giorgio Mion, Vania Vigolo and Veronica De Crescenzo
This study aims to assess whether and how non-born-sustainable business incubators (BIs) – that is, BIs whose business model was not originally sustainability-oriented – promote…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess whether and how non-born-sustainable business incubators (BIs) – that is, BIs whose business model was not originally sustainability-oriented – promote sustainable entrepreneurship development.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a qualitative research design based on grounded theory and an interpretive approach. The analysis is developed by collecting interviews with ten Italian BIs, selected by purposive sampling and examining data using the Gioia methodology.
Findings
The results show that BIs, using various specific tools, facilitate the creation of a sustainability-oriented ecosystem. In this context, BIs help start-ups develop a purpose, a cultural mindset and business models that enable them to face the challenges of today’s competitive environment, in which sustainability has become (and will increasingly be) an essential requirement for companies.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the active role of non-born-sustainable BIs in promoting the development of sustainable entrepreneurship.
Practical implications
This research has practical implications related to the opportunities for embedding sustainability in BIs’ purpose and defining a framework of operations and practices that can boost innovativeness while having a positive impact on the community and on the environment. Finally, findings suggest that BIs can foster cost reduction when implementing sustainability in start-ups.
Social implications
The study suggests that BIs, as drivers of social change, could be sustained by public assistance and help from well-established firms to promote the spread of sustainable entrepreneurship culture and the success of sustainability-oriented start-ups.
Originality/value
BIs have the potential to promote sustainable entrepreneurship, but this topic is still under-researched. While existing studies have examined the role of born-sustainable BIs in specific business sectors, this research is one of the first attempts to explore the role of non-born-sustainable BIs in fostering sustainable entrepreneurship.
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Giorgio Mion, Rossella Baratta, Angelo Bonfanti and Sara Baroni
This study investigates the drivers of social innovation in disability services with specific reference to the context of nonprofit organizations of social farming. In addition…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the drivers of social innovation in disability services with specific reference to the context of nonprofit organizations of social farming. In addition, it highlights the role of stakeholder networks in enhancing the social innovation process and the characteristics of stakeholders and networks driving and supporting social innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
Following a qualitative methodology, research was conducted through a case study survey with interviews to 13 nonprofit organizations of social farming for people with disability located in the northeast of Italy.
Findings
Insights gained from the interviews revealed that individual, organizational and contextual factors drive social innovation in disability nonprofits. In addition, networks play a key role in enhancing the three drivers of social innovation through the social innovation journey, from opportunity recognition to implementation of the innovation, to its consolidation phases. Characteristics of the networks and the stakeholders involved are also outlined.
Practical implications
Practical implications for social entrepreneurs include the need to establish cross-sectoral partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including private companies.
Social implications
Implications for policy makers stress the need for ongoing support for nonprofit disability organizations. Social implications are not limited to the inclusion of socially weaker groups; rather, the entire community benefits from the social innovation process.
Originality/value
Social farming represents a valuable solution to meet the needs of disadvantaged people. While much research has investigated the topic of social innovation in social entrepreneurship, only a few studies have addressed social innovation in the context of disability nonprofits involved in social farming.
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Giorgio Mion and Cristian R. Loza Adaui
Public-interest entities – among which are listed companies – are obliged to publish nonfinancial disclosure in some countries and regions. The European Commission established…
Abstract
Public-interest entities – among which are listed companies – are obliged to publish nonfinancial disclosure in some countries and regions. The European Commission established mandatory nonfinancial disclosure by Directive 2014/95/EU. While a large body of literature was developed on sustainability reporting quality (SRQ) in voluntary context, evidence about the effect of mandatory nonfinancial disclosure on SRQ is controversial and previous experiences worldwide did not make clear if obligatoriness improves SRQ. This chapter aims to bridge the gap of empirical evidence about this phenomenon in European countries, focusing on first implementation of new legislation by Italian and German companies. The research has an explorative character and it adopts content analysis methods performed on sustainability reporting practices of companies listed in FTSE-MIB and DAX 30. The analysis aims to understand if obligatoriness affects SRQ, causes some changes in reporting practices such as harmonizing Italian and German ones by performing a cross-country comparison. The findings suggest that obligatoriness improves reporting quality and, above all, it fills the gap between different countries by fostering the adoption of international guidelines and the consequent introduction of some content, such as materiality analysis and quantitative measures of social and environmental performance.
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Lucrezia Songini, Anna Pistoni, Pierre Baret and Martin H. Kunc
Roberta Apa, Roberto Grandinetti and Silvia Rita Sedita
The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on the relational dimension of a networked business incubator (NBI), by investigating the intermediary role of incubator…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on the relational dimension of a networked business incubator (NBI), by investigating the intermediary role of incubator management in fostering social and business ties linking tenants among each other, with the incubator management and external actors.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper offers a literature review on the NBIs and advances a comprehensive analytical framework of the networked incubation model. This framework is empirically illustrated through a case study research on a leading Italian private NBI, namely, H-Farm. The collection of primary data was conducted by means of face-to-face in-depth interviews and a survey. Data were processed through social network analysis (SNA) tools.
Findings
The results highlight the co-presence and interaction of social and business ties, which build up a vital environment nurturing an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Community-based relationships and the intermediation of incubator management are crucial for supporting tenants in product and business development activities.
Research limitations/implications
These results pave the way to further research, oriented to the conceptualization of a NBI as a (small) cluster. Moreover, the application of the SNA tools adopted invites further research on networked incubators, applying the same methodology in new directions.
Originality/value
This paper adds to previous literature on NBIs by providing evidence of the intermediary role of incubator management in promoting and facilitating social and business relationships occurring among tenants, between tenants and the incubator management, as well as with external advisors, clients and suppliers.