Title: Firm and territory: in searching for a sustainable relation. Four cases study from Italian secular firms

Authors: Cristina Simone; Maria Elisa Barondini; Mario Calabrese

Addresses: Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161 Rome, Italy ' Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161 Rome, Italy ' Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161 Rome, Italy

Abstract: The paper is focused on the relation among firm and territory and aims to identify the main features (cultural values, core competences and key organisational processes) of a sustainable business model. Wondering about virtuous (and vicious) firm behaviour, the paper starts with a deep literature review with the aim to delineate different relational models on the basis to which firms relate to their territory; then, on the basis of field research, the paper describes four case studies related to Italian secular firms characterised by a sustainable relation with their own territory; the on field research findings provide a model of an ideal-typical enterprise, sustainable and territorially virtuous - the Arbor vitae model; final remarks are then discussed in the last section.

Keywords: secular firms; sustainability; territory; cultural values; core competences; key organisational processes; sustainable business models; Italy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJENVH.2015.077146

International Journal of Environment and Health, 2015 Vol.7 No.4, pp.329 - 358

Received: 30 Jan 2016
Accepted: 09 Feb 2016
Published online: 21 Jun 2016 *

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