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Purpose This paper aims to explore how customer involvement unfolds in the development of a smart product. Smart product development poses new challenges to firms. In particular, the buyers’ and users’ involvement has shown novel dynamics in smart product development. These peculiarities are linked with the specific characteristics of the digital technology embedded into the smart products. This study’s rationale is to analyse the frictions arising from potential divergent objectives between the focal firm and its customers when digital technologies are embedded in traditional products. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted an explorative and qualitative approach to investigate new emerging dynamics of customer involvement during technological development. A coffee machine producer is selected as a case study to uncover new insights and a novel perspective on the phenomenon of customer involvement in smart product development. Data analysis followed an abductive approach that allowed to identify the dimensions of friction emerging during the technological development process. Findings The case study analysis depicts that smart product development presents novel customer involvement dynamics. In particular, this study abductively identifies dimensions of friction emerging between the focal firm and buyers/users. Friction arises in the technological interface between the actors involved. These dimensions of friction address the complexities of developing technology in terms of smart products with customer involvement. This study suggests that embedding of technology into an existing product might change how customers are involved. Originality/value Even though customer involvement in product innovation has been extensively studied in management literature, this paper focused on a new type of innovation, smart products. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous studies have yet empirically explored customers’ involvement while embedding digital technologies into existing products to create smart products. In particular, this study sheds light on the dimensions of friction emerging between the focal firm and the actors of the business network. This study unfolds novel contributions to the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing literature on technological development.

Studies on longevity firms and innovation are limited. This study aims to discover if and how the longevity family firms are able to communicate innovation and able to communicate innovation concerning their being traditional. Our evidence individuated as longevity family firms adopt an integrative approach to innovation and the family remains more attached to tradition with a different role in the firms communication.

PurposeThe paper focusses on festivals taking place in coastal regions whose central element is seafood. The purpose is to analyse the role of seafood festivals as potential tourist attractions for local development. The decision to focus on coastal areas is based on a perceived knowledge gap regarding the interactions between different sectors of the sea economy.Design/methodology/approachQualitative exploratory case studies of seafood festivals in Italy and Sweden have been performed using an analytical model. The participatory observation methodology contributed to a better understanding of the phenomenon.FindingsThe analysis shows the close relationship between seafood and tourism, and although it takes variable forms, food is a fundamental lever for maritime and coastal tourism and local development. Findings suggest that local food events can help strengthening gastronomic identities, despite there is a different articulation between tradition and marketing in the two countries.Research limitations/implicationsSince this paper represents an exploratory study of five seafood festivals, research needs to be extended and replicated before any findings can be generalized. However, the model is flexible enough to be tested in different food events.Practical implicationsFood events represent a key instrument for the integration of territorial policies in which tourism and food products might be used as strategic instruments for the development of coastal areas.Originality/valueThis paper is a first attempt to analyse and compare seafood events, contributing to filling the gap in event literature referring to coastal areas. The model introduced can be used to determine the articulation of tradition-marketing in different food events.

In questo contributo gli autori pubblicano una statua con iscrizione inedita proveniente dall'antico sito di Careiae, nell'Etruria meridionale. Essa offre l'opportunità di riflettere sul ruolo di questo piccolo centro nei pressi di Roma, di cui poco sappiamo, sulla rarissima connessione tra il collegio dei dendrofori e Virtus e sul ruolo che il collegio dei dendrofori poteva avere anche al di fuori dai contesti urbani. L'edizione di questo nuovo testo ha offerto anche l'occasione di riconsiderare un analogo plinto iscritto di statua, oggi conservato a Vienna e attribuito finora a Roma.

PurposeThis article investigates the relationship between family ownership and export performance in the context of SMEs while also considering the moderating role of the financial dimension and, in particular, financial constraints and financial flexibility.Design/methodology/approachWe select a sample of 1,132 Italian SMEs to examine through an econometric analysis the role and impact of family ownership and the financial moderating variables being used on their export performance.FindingsThe results indicate that there is a U-shaped relationship between family ownership and export performance: the highest levels of export performance correspond to the lowest and highest family ownership levels, whereas when a mixture of family and nonfamily ownership exists, the performance suffers because of “conflicting voices” dominating strategic visions and approaches, harming the firm's export commitment. Moreover, the findings show that lower financial constraints and/or stronger financial flexibility improve the relationship between family ownership and export performance.Research limitations/implicationsOur findings show that the ownership structure is important for export performance; in particular, firms should avoid a mixture between family and nonfamily ownership because it is detrimental to export performance. Moreover, Italian SMEs need to develop sources of financing other than the banking channel, and policy makers should favour this process to overcome financial constraint problems and improve financial flexibility. Limitations concern the use of other econometric approaches and measurement variables to further investigate the connection between family ownership and export performance.Originality/valueThe present study enhances the comprehension of the complex relationship between family ownership and export performance by documenting the relevance of the level of family ownership and considering the moderating role of financial constraints and flexibility.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how sustainability is integrated into a new venture’s business network initiation. This study unpacks sustainability in business network initiation using temporal bracketing and identifying its main processes. Temporal bracketing supports the understanding of the evolution of sustainability in network initiation. The processes help explore the sustainability patterns that emerge from the new venture’s attempt to integrate sustainability into network initiation. Design/methodology/approach The exploratory case study of an Italian pasta maker draws on industrial network theory to focus on the business network initiation of new ventures. The novelty is the integration of sustainability into the business network initiation literature. This paper adopts a single case study methodology and an abductive approach to analysis. Findings This study finds that sustainability in network initiation is achieved through three periods of initiation and through five processes that are overlapping, intertwined and reciprocal. This study suggests that sustainability can have a positive or negative impact when integrated into the initiation process. Originality/value This paper provides a conceptual framework for understanding how a new venture integrates sustainability in its network initiation. The framework comprises periods and processes of network initiation which show how a new venture can integrate sustainability in its business activities and resources through interaction with network actors.

Purpose of the paper: The Industry 4.0 paradigm entails tremendous business opportunities. However, SMEs are struggling to effectively commercialize new products embedding Industry 4.0 technologies. Therefore, the study aims at exploring how SMEs manage the commercialization of Industry 4.0 new products to provide a thorough understanding of the main issues and barriers they face. Methodology: The study adopts a single case study of an Italian SMEs. Data have been analyzed through an abductive approach. The novelty of the topic calls for an explorative study consistent with the methodologies adopted. Results: The study finds several barriers and issues related to internal and external factors. Barriers and issues might be overcome if SMEs develop external partnerships to compensate their typical scarcity of resources. The firm faced the coronavirus pandemic, which highlighted further threats hidden into the commercialization process. Research limitations: The study design is qualitative in nature, limiting the generalization of the findings. The internal perspective and the specific study contexts also offer new avenues for future. research. Practical implications: The study provides several insights to support SMEs in their commercialization processes of new Industry 4.0 technological products. The study highlights the pivotal role of strategy and planning as well as marketing activities. Originality of the paper: The study contributes to the new product commercialization and Industry 4.0 literature by unravelling potential issues and barriers that innovator SMEs might encounter when commercializing new products that fall into the Industry 4.0 paradigm. The article provides a novel perspective as the extant NPD literature focuses on start-ups or large corporations, while the Industry 4.0 literature has been neglecting the commercialization process.

Despite in recent years the impact of market sentiment on the performance of listing firms has gained increased attention from academics and professionals, a research question that remains uncovered deals with how the retail investor sentiment and attention might impact the IPO pricing in the primary market. This analysis proposes a stochastic frontier model approach on a sample of 412 US firms listed between 2010 and 2016. The main research questions aim at revealing the effects that the number and the sentiment of the Tweets in the 3 months prior to each IPO produce in terms of the distance between the maximum achievable price and the actual offer price of the stocks. Results show that the more favorable the sentiment, the closer the offer price is set to the maximum achievable to the benefit of the issuer; on the contrary, negative sentiments seem to play no effect on the pricing, supporting the idea that investors are net buyers of attention-grabbing news. The number of Tweets shows no effect as well. Few and good is then the desirable attention and sentiment that issuers should wish for their listing firms. Key words: Initial public offering, sentiment, investors’ attention, underpricing, social media.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present and discuss a model to evaluate the top management quality and its impact on the default probability/survival probability of companies operating in the Italian food and beverage industry. The focus is on SMEs and private companies (ie. companies with no external or public rating). The general aim of this paper is to initiate a new field of research enjoying the fast and growing number of information underlying the development of the private lending market (both banking channel and private debt channel) and the recent developments in assessing the managerial styles of leadership.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology used in the research is a mixed method based on quantitative and qualitative analysis. The authors have followed the sequential mixed methods design (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2007; Almalki, 2016) belonging to a practice perspective (Tashakkori and Creswell, 2007). The two components (quantitative and qualitative) are integrated in the combined approach: a final proposed evaluation model is explained and discussed.FindingsAccording to the experience (and private market best practice) the leadership style has a material impact on the survival probability of a company (and, on the contrary, on the default probability of a company). In other words, the leadership style – other variables be equal – can provide significant information to investors about the future evolution of the financial performance and related credit risk. In the paper, the authors provide a useful model (and tool) in order to capture the above mentioned relationship to support investment decisions in food and beverage industry.Research limitations/implicationsWhile a positive relationship between a participative style of leadership and the financial performance is widely accepted in the literature; there is no published research on the relationship between managerial styles of leadership and default probability/survival probability. There are several workstreams to be performed in future research in order (1) to provide more business evidence and (2) to extent the analysis to further industries (other than food and beverage). The first step is to collect more data and company information on managerial styles of leadership and to start to track, to measure and monitor the evolution of the credit risk over time in each of the four clusters identified in the combined model.Practical implicationsThe practical implication is to provide a methodological contribution to develop an evaluation model of top management quality to be used for the certification of the quality system. The proposed evaluation model is intended to support both (1) the ISO quality management system certifiers and (2) financial analysts and auditors in order to assess the going concern and the business sustainability and (3) the credit risk assessment and evolution in investment decisions.Social implicationsThe authors believe that a more deep understanding on the effectiveness of managerial styles of leadership on credit risk can improve the credit and investment allocation and to enhance the borrowing capabilities of the food and beverage industry (with relevant implications on number of employees and size of new investments).Originality/valueThis is the first applied research on the link between the default probability/company survival probability and the quality of management in the Italian food and beverage industry.

PurposeThis paper aims to identify what ethical attributes tourists associate with national parks’ brands shown on food souvenir labels and the influence of such attributes on purchase motivations.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory study was carried out involving a total of 102 Italian tourists, who were interviewed at two different souvenir shops in Italy. Respondents were first asked to describe what images and values they were associating with the visited Italian National Park. The second level of questions related to the association of food products with national parks and the purchase motivations of food products branded with the national park’s label. The ethical attributes associated with the national parks’ brands and their relevance in purchase motivations were detected and analyzed through content analysis.FindingsThe analysis of the national park brand allows highlighting the food souvenir role in communicating ethical values that influence the perceived quality of food as well as tourists’ purchase motivations. The analysis reveals interesting implications for the enhancement of local productions in tourist destinations, more specifically, how the place brand can act as a valuable communication tool. Particular attention is given to the crucial role that national parks’ brands play in strengthening the value proposition of small businesses located within parks. This vision must be implemented from the perspective of mutual promotion of local food and tourism in these parks.Originality/valueThe results of this paper contributed to the literature by filling the gap regarding the role of place brands in promoting food souvenirs.

PurposeThe aim of the study is to explore the genesis of entrepreneurial ecosystems (EE) and highlight the role played by intellectual capital (IC) in that process. Specifically, the paper adopts the collective intelligence approach, and the study shows how human capital (HC), structural capital (SC) and relational capital (RC) interact to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts a single case study of an Italian EE. The data analysis is based upon the collection of different sources of data: semi-structured interviews with representatives of each actor of the ecosystem; email correspondence; meetings report; a 24-months period of direct observation. Given the novelty of the topic, the qualitative method seems well suited for studying innovation-based EE since the method offers rich data about a phenomenon in real-life context.FindingsThe case is a top-down, innovation-based EE in which all main components of the IC play a crucial role from the initial stage. Findings show how the constant interchange between IC components occurs at two different levels: the micro and the meso level. HC and RC play major roles at both levels, whilst SC only occurs at a meso level, representing the environment in which the whole ecosystem takes place. Additionally, the use case, a new intangible asset integrating all three components of IC, emerged as one of the main outcomes of this innovation-based EE.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to a rather unexplored topic in the existing literature on EE and IC, namely the formation process of EE and the role played by IC within that process. Additionally, through the application of the collective intelligence approach, the authors shed light on the need to manage IC at both micro and meso level in the creation of an EE.

Purpose This study aims to develop our understanding of the value co-creation process in business networks. This study identifies four key sub-processes that characterize the value co-creation journey as it unfolds across an inter-organizational network. These four sub-processes are opportunity co-creation, solution co-creation, complementary co-creation and activated co-creation. Design/methodology/approach Reflecting the exploratory nature of this research, the methodology relies on an in-depth case study, which is analyzed through the lens of the resource interaction occurring within the specific business relationships and collaborative episodes that affected the nine-year long development of Deko, a new architectural lighting solution. Findings The main contribution of the paper is identifying the sub-processes comprising the value co-creation journey of a technology development solution based on resource combining, re-combining and un-combining across a business network. That value co-creation occurs through a time-consuming journey requiring multiple episodes of collaboration can also inspire the practice of handling this process for instance for a small business such as the one featured in this case study. Originality/value This paper highlights that the value co-creation journey process has the potential to frame the unfolding of collaboration in practice for a small business.

R&D teams' internationalization attracts interests from different research-streams. However, the decision on what type of R&D structure is more convenient to invest in may differ, based on several factors, such as risk-taking propensity and internal resource availability. With an aim to enrich the extant literature and to provide practical insights for managers working in the wine industry, this case study explores the determinants of an Italian family-owned winery that attempts to keep a balance between its internal and external R&D teams' decision, using an integrated theoretical framework based on the transaction costs and the resource-based view theory. The optimal R&D solution based on an accurate costs vs benefits analysis leads the firm to hire highly qualified staff to manage its internal R&D unit, as well as to complement the unit with complementary resource that can be accessed through external R&D knowledge sources.

The integration of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies within society is pivotal for resolving many challenges that the world and its population are facing presently—global pandemics, ageing populations, and climate change. However, academics and practitioners still struggle to fully understand I4.0 outcomes outside of the manufacturing domain, thereby unravelling their potential for society at large. In this scenario, Society 5.0 (S5.0) is arising as a new paradigm that places humans at the centre of innovation. To foster the effective integration of technology into society and to better understand how to design S5.0 configurations and solutions, the authors developed a conceptual model applying the Design Thinking (DT) approach to the Quintuple Helix (QH) innovation framework. The proposed QH–DT model was found to be suitable for allowing the knowledge flow among the actors involved in the design and implementation of the S5.0 solution. The model was then explained through its application in a healthcare project—the SMARTAGE. By adopting an action research methodology, the results explain how it becomes possible to build complex human-centric healthcare solutions.

The purpose of this study is to investigate new forms of marketing data-driven knowledge discovery in the vending machine (VM) industry. Data of shopping activities understanding were gathered and analyzed by a system technology based on a RGBD camera. An RGBD camera, already tested in retail environments, is installed in top-view configuration on a VM to gather data that are processed and embedded within a knowledge discovery project. We adopted the knowledge discovery via data analytics framework (KDDA) that was applied to a real-world VM scenario. Real-world case tests, based on more than 17.000 shoppers measured in 4 different locations, were conducted. By using this method it was possible to verify the ability of this approach to generate new forms of marketing data-driven knowledge available on the VM industry. Main novelties are: i) the application of a KDDA project to the VM industry; ii) the use of RGBD data sources for the first time for a KDDA process; iii) the contribution to the practice by supporting retailers to carry out knowledge discovery processes more effectively; iv) the real-world testing process based on 4 locations and more than 17.000 shoppers.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore two specific areas pertaining to industrial networks and international business (IB). First, the authors look at how business relationships influence the internationalization in time, from the establishment of the first subsidiary in a foreign market to the following ones, and in space, that is, across different markets. Second, the authors investigate how an increasing external network dependence of subsidiaries in their internationalization may cause a detachment of a subsidiary from the mother company as its knowledge becomes insufficient to guide a subsidiary’s internationalization. Design/methodology/approach This paper utilizes an exploratory, longitudinal, single-case study of Loccioni – a manufacturer of measuring and automatic control systems for industrial customers – to illustrate the specific dynamics of the influences of industrial networks on the internationalization of subsidiaries. Findings The case study helps to elucidate the roles, entailing also free will and own initiative, of small suppliers’ subsidiaries which operate inside several global factories, and how “surfing” on many different global factories, by means of several local subsidiaries, actually supports these suppliers’ own international developments. This notion adds to our understanding of the global factory phenomenon a supplier focus that stresses how the role of suppliers is not merely that of being passive recipients of activities and directions from a focal orchestrating firm, but can also be that of initiative-takers themselves. Originality/value The paper contributes to the IMP tradition by providing a multi-layered and geographically more fine-grained view of the network embedding companies that operate on internationalized markets. This paper thereby sheds light on a less investigated area of research within the IMP tradition: the link between internationalization in different countries and the interconnectedness between the industrial networks spanning these countries. At the same time, this paper contributes to IB theories by showing how a late-internationalizing SME can enter highly international markets by “plugging into” several established “Global Factories” as a way to exploit further opportunities for international expansion.

Purpose This paper aims to study the effects of knowledge acquisition on innovation performance and the moderating effects of human resource management (HRM), in terms of employee retention and HRM practices, on the above-mentioned relationship. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 129 firms operating in a wide array of sectors has been used to gather data through a standardized questionnaire for testing the hypotheses through ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models. Findings The results indicate that knowledge acquisition positively affects innovation performance and that HRM moderates the relationship between knowledge acquisition and innovation performance. Originality/value With the increasing proclivity towards engaging in open innovation, firms are likely to face some tensions and opportunities leading to a shift in the management of human resources. This starts from the assumption that the knowledge base of the firm resides in the people who work for the firm and that some HRM factors can influence innovation within firms. Despite this, there is a lack of research investigating the link between knowledge acquisition, HRM and innovation performance under the open innovation lens. This paper intends to fill this gap and nurture future research by assessing whether knowledge acquisition influences innovation performance and whether HRM moderates such a relationship.

The discipline of fundraising sees increasing attention from the scholars due to the worldwide growing of the nonprofit sector and the subsequent competition for private funds. Despite that, many of the studies on fundraising are still limited to the Anglo-Saxon context. This paper thus aims to examine how an organization carry out its fundraising activities in a context where fundraising does not represent the routine procedure for the vast majority of the players. The proper implementation of fundraising can substantially contributes to the organizational success of a non-profit organization. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and how the fundraising activities have been carried out and which are the stages of evolution crossed by a proficient charity in a Latin context. This study was conducted by using a qualitative methodology; helped by semi-structured interview to the fundraising managers of the organization. The findings showed how the development of fundraising practices has been pushed by international organizations leading to an increasing isomorphism reflected by the phases of fundraising evolution crossed which resemble those highlighted in literature. Recommendations for future advancement in research are made as well as management implications.

The use of case studies as qualitative research strategy in social sciences seems to have increased recently, but there are no studies that empirically verify such claim. By explicitly focusing on the field of business and management studies, we aim to investigate the extent of publication and the main features of qualitative case studies published in the 20 highest impact factor business and management journals. The paper discusses the correlation between a journal's ranking and the extent of case studies it published, and between selected features of case studies (e.g. research purpose, design and data sources). Moreover, we shed light on how the identified features of a case study impact its probability of being published. Methodologically, we analyse by means of correlation and regression statistics, as well as clustering techniques a total of 19 features in the 352 qualitative case studies published between 2002 and 2011 in our sample of top business and management journals.

Moving beyond the methodological issues of a literary-based reassessment of the reign of the last Flavian emperor, this article re-reads the principate of Domitian in light of fresh epigraphic and numismatic evidence that has only been discovered or fully understood in recent years. This exploration documents the progressive ingraining into second-century literature of an unfavorable vulgate on Domitian’s architectural, moral, and religious policies, the positive impact of which is, however, documented by material sources. In addition to contributing to the ongoing revaluation of Domitian, this article displays the benefits of a cross-fertilizing and interdiscursive reading of literary and material sources.

This paper aims at providing a detailed analysis of two epigraphic forgeries transcribed by Pirro Ligorio under the lemma “Accursia” in his Enciclopedia del mondo antico: CIL VI 990* and CIL VI 991*. In particular, we make an attempt to identify the genuine inscriptions that might have provided Ligorio with the necessary inspiration to compose these two forgeries and to shed new light on the curious choice of the nomen ‘Accursius’, which appears in both texts.

Corporate communication plays an important role in establishing and maintaining transparent and open dialogues with different stakeholders to foster ethical and socially responsible actions. The advent of the internet not only reorganized the way in which companies collect information, but also redefined stakeholders’ expectations. This paper investigates the potential of internet-based communication tools to disclose CSR topics. The study analyses the extent to which the Dow Jones Sustainability Index companies are using the internet-based tools to foster one-way and two-way communications and, so, to develop a dialogue with stakeholders. The research suggests a prevalence of one-way communication through internet-based tools but, at the same time, a large dissemination of social network channels.

Gli scavi condotti nel teatro di Terracina negli anni 2004-2017 hanno restituito molti materiali di rilevante interesse storico e archeologico, in particolare una statua di barbaro «Orientale» in giallo antico, un’ara per Iuppiter Axur e numerosi frammenti che compongono quasi per intero un’iscrizione con la carriera del triumviro Lepido, unico caso finora noto in Italia. Dopo la presentazione del contesto di scavo, si dà qui la prima edizione dell’eccezionale documento, inquadrabile tra il 37 e il 36 a.C., dal quale apprendiamo, in particolare, che nel 44 a.C. Lepido aveva rivestito per la terza volta la carica di magister equitum di Cesare. The excavations in Terracina’s ancient theater from 2004 to 2017 have revealed numerous materials of great historical and archaeological interest. Are highlighted a marmor numidicum statue representing an «Oriental» barbarian, an altar dedicated to Iuppiter Axur and numerous fragments which enable to reconstruct almost completely an inscription with the career of the triumvir M. Aemilius Lepidus, a unique case in Italy. After the presentation of the context of the excavation, the paper gives the first analysis of this exceptional document, datable between the years 37 and 36 BC, from which we learn that Lepidus was Cesar’s magister equitum for the third time in 44 BC.

e19231 Background: Nowadays, in the “era of technology”, websites, online journals and social media give access to an extraordinary amount of medical information; moreover, many patients and their families employ websites and social media searching for additional clarifications about their own malignancies and the prescribed treatments. Misleading news are often disseminated generating false expectations, exaggerated anxiety and confusion even on officially supported websites. In oncology setting, disinformation is perhaps more deleterious than in other fields, with a considerable impact on single patients as well as on families and, more in general, on Public Health. In order to promote the best interaction between the world of health and the world of communication, a table of experts was established with the aim to draft a shared document identifying strategies to overcome barriers between communication and health care as well as to propose common criteria for an effective dissemination of medical information. Methods: On the basis of the "consensus conference" method in the RAND/UCLA variant, a modified version of Delphi methodology, a literature research has been conducted with the aim to select studies related to the best practices applied to health journalism regarding oncology setting. Results: Sixteen articles met the inclusion criteria, from which 72 recommendations were extracted and submitted to experts in communication and health professionals included in the technical table. After the evaluation of this panel, 57 recommendations scored more than 7 representing the selected statements shared together by communication experts and health professionals. This consensus and the drawn up shared document represent a concrete attempt to found a renewed and strategic alliance between health and communication operators in order to produce useful and reproducible indications for an effective dissemination of medical information. Conclusions: As the “American Declaration of Independence”, our “Declaration of Good Communication” has identified high-impact recommendations for the best management of patients, providing simple but fundamental concepts and recommendations about effective communication especially in oncology setting.

This section aims to provide an overview of the research and teaching activities carried out at the Faculty of Economics of the Universita Politecnica delle Marche over the last 50 years. In particular, its objective is to show the development of subjects taught and researched with regard to the four main areas of the Faculty: Business Administration, Economics and Business Management, Economic Statistics and Economics. Besides showing how the main areas of research and education have changed over time, this section also aims to stimulate reflections on the future of these areas, shedding light on new streams on which research activities could be focused. In doing so, this chapter combines the past, the present and the future of the Faculty of Economics of the Universita Politecnica delle Marche and it shows how changes which have characterised the national and the international context over the last 50 years affected both the teaching and the research activities carried out by the Faculty and the contribution that the latter aims to provide over the next few years.