Federico Visconti

This study investigates how successors, by acting entrepreneurially, contribute to family firm transgenerational value creation. By focusing on the transgenerational value creation process, we investigate transgenerational entrepreneurship in family businesses under successor leadership. Employing a multiple case study approach, we analyse 15 Italian family firms, based on direct interviews, follow-ups, field observations, and approximately 300 historical documents spanning the period 1894 to 2023. Our findings reveal how individual, contextual, business, and familial drivers, alone or in combination, point to various pathways influencing entrepreneurial outcomes, thereby reflecting the diverse forms of successor entrepreneurship. Specifically, we develop a taxonomy comprising five entrepreneurial profiles: revolutioner, orchestrator, venturer, renewer, and improver. Our findings offer novel insights into the family business and entrepreneurship literature, along with practical implications and potential contributions to regional development.

L'articolo analizza l'introduzione del Passaporto Digitale del Prodotto (DPP) nell'ambito delle normative europee sull'ecodesign, evidenziandone le implicazioni per le piccole e medie imprese manifatturiere italiane. Il DPP rappresenta uno strumento chiave per favorire la tracciabilità ambientale dei prodotti lungo tutto il ciclo di vita, abilitando una maggiore trasparenza, comparabilità e digitalizzazione dei dati. Tuttavia, la sua adozione impone alle PMI rilevanti sfide operative, tra cui la raccolta strutturata di informazioni tecniche e ambientali, la governance dei dati e l'adeguamento dei processi interni. Il contributo propone una lettura critica della normativa, sostenendo che il rispetto formale dei requisiti non sia sufficiente: è necessaria una transizione culturale che integri la sostenibilità nella progettazione e nella strategia aziendale. In questo contesto, l'ecodesign non è solo un adempimento normativo, ma una leva di valore competitivo per le imprese che intendano innovare responsabilmente.

The paper investigates how the non-economic goals of the current CEOs affect innovation in family firms. A qualitative in-depth multiple case study of four family firms is carried out, in which the current CEOs' non-economic goals are identified by direct interviews with the current CEOs themselves and with the members who managed the company before them (i.e., the predecessors). As a main result, the paper proposes a theoretical framework which explains the relationships between goals and innovation by identifying a series of managerial levers activated because of the peculiarity of the current CEOs' non-economic goals.

This conference speech discusses key findings from the ISTAT Annual Report 2024 on Italy’s education system, highlighting both progress and significant challenges. While Italy performs comparably to other European countries in bachelor’s and master’s degree attainment, it lags in doctorate and specialized degrees, as well as overall education levels among young people, many of whom hold only secondary school diplomas. These gaps stem from systemic issues but can be addressed through joint efforts by families, students, and universities. Families should foster resilience and independence rather than overprotection, while students must demonstrate accountability, motivation, institutional discipline, and a commitment to learning. Universities, in turn, must embrace their evolving role by teaching lifelong learning skills, aligning with labour market needs, fostering innovation, and strengthening ties with businesses and other institutions. Pursuing high-quality academic research to enhance institutional reputation and to grow doctorates, adopting innovative teaching practices, improving resource allocation, and collaborating effectively with external stakeholders including companies are essential steps to transform universities into drivers of growth, benefiting young people, businesses, and Italian society as a whole.