The goal of the following observations is to reason on the relevance and the meaning of small and middle size enterprises in Italy, with particular attention to their regional distribution. In our country, more than in others in Europe, the diffusion of SMEs has been extensive not only for economic reasons, but also for social and anthropological ones. The management of an enterprise of this size suits better the collective profile of a small entrepreneur, whose margins of free-dom and movement are far greater than those of the entrepreneurs belonging to the world of big enterprises, which are placed inside an organic logic, much more conditioned than any other. In other words, the need of freedom and cre-ativity, typical of the Italian people, is better expressed in small and elastic con-texts rather than in larger sized ones, where the system of rules does not allow any deviation from economic standards. The observation of the size of enter-prises does not only mean understanding that one is bigger and another is smaller; it means rather that these organizations are born from different eco-nomic histories and that they can be tightly related to the territory (think of the so-called industrial districts), or in other cases, completely dissociated (consider the so-called cathedrals in the desert of Southern Italy). A further reason is related to the fact that Italy has traditionally been a land dom-inated by “borghi” (villages), small municipalities and the culture of localism. Starting from the past centuries, this has determined a propensity to craft work, favouring the opening of a myriad of handicraft shops in the surrounding territory. The features described in the paper require the acceptance of deep and decisive transformations in the world of enterprises. The transformations we are going to talk about in the following pages have their roots in the handicraft vocation of small Italian entrepreneurs, but at the same time, these professional figures (from certain points of view absolutely without precedent) are connected to the experimental nature of small high-tech enterprises mainly known as start-ups. We will try to understand their socio-economic significance in terms of employment innovation and sustainability in the labour market today.

What Is new in SMEs? Innovation and employment sustainability in the context of italian Start-Ups / Fontana, Renato; Calo', ERNESTO DARIO; Cassella, Milena. - (2020), pp. 47-78.

What Is new in SMEs? Innovation and employment sustainability in the context of italian Start-Ups

Renato Fontana;Ernesto Dario Calò;Milena Cassella
2020

Abstract

The goal of the following observations is to reason on the relevance and the meaning of small and middle size enterprises in Italy, with particular attention to their regional distribution. In our country, more than in others in Europe, the diffusion of SMEs has been extensive not only for economic reasons, but also for social and anthropological ones. The management of an enterprise of this size suits better the collective profile of a small entrepreneur, whose margins of free-dom and movement are far greater than those of the entrepreneurs belonging to the world of big enterprises, which are placed inside an organic logic, much more conditioned than any other. In other words, the need of freedom and cre-ativity, typical of the Italian people, is better expressed in small and elastic con-texts rather than in larger sized ones, where the system of rules does not allow any deviation from economic standards. The observation of the size of enter-prises does not only mean understanding that one is bigger and another is smaller; it means rather that these organizations are born from different eco-nomic histories and that they can be tightly related to the territory (think of the so-called industrial districts), or in other cases, completely dissociated (consider the so-called cathedrals in the desert of Southern Italy). A further reason is related to the fact that Italy has traditionally been a land dom-inated by “borghi” (villages), small municipalities and the culture of localism. Starting from the past centuries, this has determined a propensity to craft work, favouring the opening of a myriad of handicraft shops in the surrounding territory. The features described in the paper require the acceptance of deep and decisive transformations in the world of enterprises. The transformations we are going to talk about in the following pages have their roots in the handicraft vocation of small Italian entrepreneurs, but at the same time, these professional figures (from certain points of view absolutely without precedent) are connected to the experimental nature of small high-tech enterprises mainly known as start-ups. We will try to understand their socio-economic significance in terms of employment innovation and sustainability in the labour market today.
2020
The importance of SMEs as innovators of sustainable inclusive employment. New evidence from regional labour markets
978-3-95710-380-2
small and medium enterprises; innovation; employment; start-up; italian context
02 Pubblicazione su volume::02a Capitolo o Articolo
What Is new in SMEs? Innovation and employment sustainability in the context of italian Start-Ups / Fontana, Renato; Calo', ERNESTO DARIO; Cassella, Milena. - (2020), pp. 47-78.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1441930
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