Competences and performance in metal waste supply chain: lessons from Italy

Objectives. The paper revisits the effect of marketing and innovation competences owned by public and private ownership, on firms’ performance in the Italian waste industry. Methodology. We propose a quantitative explorative analysis by using a a simple OLS model Findings. A mixed ownership model could be the winner along firms’ life cycle. Every stage in the life cycles requires a different model of governance and some specific competences . The results highlight that in the waste metal supply chain, there is the need to adapt the business model of firms both to the stage of the life cycle and to each phase of the supply chain. Is not possible to define a unique business model for the waste metal sector. Anyway, the presence of the public and the private ownership is always necessary, because in a balanced way, they are able to provide the right competences to grow. Research limits. The main limitation of the paper are related to the fact that it doesn’t consider all the possible variables that in an hyibrid ownership model can be caught. Practical implications. These results give suggestions to the entrepreneurs along with policy makers. From one side, the entrepreneurs can better identify an adequate business model to implement and consequently, competences and resources; policy makers, in the implementation activity of European found should also take into account the heterogeneity of competences necessary to set up a new firm and/or to expand the established. Originality of the study. The study goes beyond purely looking at ownership along the supply chain and also across the life cycle of firms.