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This paper aims at analysing the link between business models and the institutional assets of firms operating in the tertiary sector, with a focus on the tourism industry. The hypercompetition of this sector, indeed, refers not only to the competitive choices but also to the governance decisions, connected to the overall strategies that firms intend to adopt

The aim of this paper is to develop a resource-based approach with an in-depth analysis on the food productions of the Province of Naples conceived as possible local factors of attraction for different segments of food tourism. In some destinations, food products are considered an expression of the territorial identity since they are the result of traditions and historical culture. Consequently, in the last years, food tourism has assumed a key role in terms of tourist flows. These tradition-based productions are characterized by some specific features, such as the quality of their raw materials, the fame of their brands, the respect of sustainable procedures and so on. Therefore, the above-mentioned criteria are used to select the sample of firms that is representative of the local traditions of excellence. Results highlight that the valuable food productions are not yet fully exploited in order to attract new segments of food tourism.

This paper is based on the exploration of the dynamic capability theory since, although many studies have dealt with this issue from the year 1994 [Teece and Pisano], there is still an open debate around some specific aspects of this approach due to the proliferation of theoretical studies and the lack of empirical ones. In order to discover the main gaps underpinning this theory, the current research has been drawn through the identification of the following research questions: 1) What are the theoretical origins of the dynamic capabilities theory?; 2) What does the word «dynamic» stand for?; 3) What are the sources of the dynamic capabilities?; 4) In what manner do Dc leverage firm’s resource base?; 5) Do dynamic capabilities really influence firm performance?.

This paper examines the issue of the entrepreneurial start-up and it questions about the ability of catching and creation of opportunities through exploitation/exploration strategies. The research, hence, investigates whether in an ecosystem the leading actor can be the entrepreneurial actor for the whole system, able not only to catch but also to create opportunities by exploiting and valorizing the resources of the different actors. Furthermore, the attention is focused on the understanding of entrepreneurial capabilities that exploit strategic resources and generate competitive advantage. The interesting issue is to focus, more than on individual start ups, on business districts themselves’ start ups. Within them, there is a network of already existing firms and new ventures can be started. In this last case, start-up issues develop at a double level: the district start up and the new initiatives promoted by the district (both new firms and-or new inter-firm ventures). The latter, besides, becomes also a signal of the district successful performance. Using the case study analysis methodology, the paper tries to cover some unexplored points within the referring entrepreneurship literature on start-ups. The proposed case study of the “District of high technology for Cultural Heritage” provides a conceptual and empirical foundation that allows to understand what should be the main capabilities within an eco-system in order to favor the creation of new business ventures that can translate into successful start-ups. This paper offers interesting both theoretical and empirical insights, showing the way through which the entrepreneurial actor can be an accelerator in creating strategic networks and business districts.

This paper examines the role of marketing strategies in a perspective of stronger customers involvements highlighting its evolution according to both theoretical and empirical contents. Starting from the assumption that customers are not merely targets of strategic activities, the paper underlines the active role of customer as well as the community in design and implementation of marketing policies both at induced and organic level. This statement comes from the higher consumer confidence in the use of web 2.0 tools and their value-added services. Particularly, the current research analyzes how firm’s relations with other can create value through crowdsourcing activities.

La ricerca è orientata all’evoluzione delle strategie di marketing nell’ottica del forte coinvolgimento del consumatore, con particolare riferimento allo sviluppo del web 2.0 e dei relativi servizi ad alto valore aggiunto. La ricerca si focalizza sull’esplorazione della connessione impresa-cliente-impresa che risulta dal porre in essere attività di crowdsourcing.