Responsibility and Sustainability Choices in the Animal Feed Industry

The conventional discourse on corporate social responsibility (CSR) focuses on big companies and tends to neglect small, medium, and family firms. However, scholars state that simply scaling down CSR theories does not capture the variations in CSR choices across companies and contexts. The authors remedy this state of affairs by investigating an Italian family firm in the animal feed industry in light of an integrative framework that combines institutional- and company-level factors explaining the variations in CSR choices. The findings highlight how the company under investigation is committed to ensuring animal welfare by offering healthy and safe animal feed through innovation and certification. In addition, the company is well embedded in the local community and represents a point of reference for the inhabitants. Initiatives ranging from scholarships to university exchange programs to running races contribute to mobilizing human resources and to improving the company's brand awareness.

Matching Sustainability Strategy and Results

The aim of the research is to analyze the strategy and the value creation system from a sustainable point of view adopted in an Italian family firm, with a particular focus strategic intensions and strategic projects under implementation. This work has been conducted through the qualitative method of case study, where theory and empirical research are intertwined. In particular, semi-structured interviews and internal document analysis have been conducted. The research shows how the company has implemented the strategy, focusing on sustainability critical success factors and key projects in order to lay the foundation for innovation and growth. The chapter has some theoretical and practical implications as it contributes to integrate the existing literature on family firms, strategic planning, and sustainability, and allows managers better understand how a sustainability strategy can be translated into operational terms.

The Daughter's Career in Family Firms

In spite of the considerable importance of career issues in the field of family business gender studies, current literature shows a lack of attention to careers in family businesses. Due to this theoretical limitation, this chapter aims to investigate quantitatively the second generation's career in a sample of Italian family firms (N=297). Findings suggest that the careers of females and males show different characteristics. This chapter contributes to the limited research on daughter succession. Moreover, it provides a contribution to understanding the daughters' organizational and educational career in small and medium-sized family firms specifically, filling a gap in the current literature. Finally, this chapter prompts a reflection on the cultural/contextual aspects that impact upon entry into the company.

A Novel Mutation (D395A) in Valosin-Containing Protein Gene Is Associated With Early Onset Frontotemporal Dementia in an Italian Family

Inclusion body myopathy (IBM) with Paget’s disease of bone (PDB) and/or frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (IBMPFD) was recently identified as rare autosomal dominant disorder due to mutations in VCP gene. However, VCP mutations have also been documented in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 (CMT2) disease, and hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), underlining the heterogeneity of the phenotypes due to VCP mutations. In this study, we reported a novel missense heterozygous variant c.1184A > C (p.D395A) in exon 10 of VCP gene identified in three patients (two sisters and one brother) belonging to an Italian family. The patients underwent a detailed clinical evaluation including medical history, neurological examination, and neuropsychological assessment. Brain’s morphologic and functional analysis was also performed. The whole picture was consistent with the criteria of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) without IBM and PBD. Our report confirms the high degree of heterogeneity of VCP disease. A VCP analysis should be considered for the genetic screening of familial bvFTD with an early onset also in absence of IBM or PDB signs.

Working with(in) kinship: value in Italian family businesses

In Italy, living close to or even within a place of business is not in and of itself unusual. Forms of housing in Italy are similar to many other European countries in that people primarily live in mixed-use spaces. It is common to have an apartment above cafés, bars, and bakeries. In this article, I examine how this form of mixed-use residence shapes market practices, decision-making, and labour relations among owners and workers. I argue that the spaces in which employees participate in the market economy also mirror their commitments to family. By examining workspaces across two food certifications in Milan, Italy – a Made in Italy certification (Food Italy) and a halal certification (Halal Italia) – I argue that Italian kinship networks structure how workers in each business operate. This intervention contributes to a larger literature on the cultural dimensions of capitalism.