Purpose – This work investigates the ‘managerialization’ process of the Italian cultural heritage. The work starts from the analysis of scientific and political debates of the governance’s dynamics of Italian state museums (in particular focusing on the recent reform of the Italian museums’ system - Franceschini’s Decree) from which emerges some recurring themes. In particular the research group focuses its attention on the necessity to ‘modernize’ the process of cultural heritage management, which means ‘managerialization’ and, so, ‘professionalization’ of specific roles in the strategic sectors of heritage’s protections, conservations, and valorization (‘cultural manager’ as directors/executives). Design/methodology/approach – The research group adopts the ‘situationist’ approach, focused on: the concrete context of human action and the role played by directors/executive; the institutional pressure able to orient the conducts of the latter; the activation of isomorphic processes by directors. In particular, this work investigates the presence of normative isomorphism, connected to the professionalization, and its role in the institutionalization of the rules. Based on the assumption that Universities have a crucial role in the development of new skills, we test our hypothesis on a sample of professionalizing master (first/second level) about the professionalization in the field of cultural heritage. Originality/value – The work links the governance of the artistic-cultural heritage with the 'training process' that universities make for professionalizing human resources. The current regulatory framework puts at the centre of every strategic board the need to start a training process in collaboration with specialized entities to this purpose: universities and training institutions are, in the opinion of the writes, appropriate as well as necessary. University nowadays are conducting projects training for 'cultural manager', sometimes anticipating the decision of Public Administration, trying to condition them (lobbying), sometimes following its strategic directions (conceding pressures). Practical implications – The adoption of this approach, trough the reconstruction of actions actually undertaken by experts for protection and valorization of artistic-cultural heritage (directors/executive), allow us to observe the following: the governance dynamics started by actors responsible for Italian cultural heritage seems, at best, informed at decoupling process, due to strong institutional pressures leading the organizations manager to ‘look like’. The latters, in fact, in an effort to gain social legitimation, decided to adopt strategic conducts of institutional isomorphism. The decoupling should create, for the benefits of those who adopt these conducts, a ‘legitimacy façade’, aimed at achieving results only apparently performing.

In Italy, the governance of the museum organizations is a widely debated topic. Through different paths of analysis Scholars have detected several critical factors that could adversely affect the capacity to express the real potential of a territory with a natural touristic vocation. This work analyses the governance dynamics of Italian museum organizations adopting a situationist perspective in order to detect: the role played by the actors (e.g. directors/managers) involved in the governance of the National artistic-cultural heritage; the influence of the political system on the conducts of the directors of the museums; the power relations among these actors and the National Institutions. The work is divided into two parts. The first one aims at identifying the elements characterizing the governance of Italian museum organizations, using the Delphi Analysis with in-depth interviews to three key players in the museum sector. The second phase seeks to verify three main statements through an online survey involving the population of Directors responsible for the Italian State Museum: 1) there is a gap between the contents of Code of the cultural heritage and landscape and the organizational structure, internal processes and activities of the museum organizations; 2) the key actors in the governance processes adopt a strategic approach mainly directed to the protection of artistic-cultural heritage; 3) the initiatives aimed at enhancing the artistic-cultural heritage are limited. The work seeks to show the way forward for further studies on the role of directors, enabling a greater comprehension of the topic. The situationist perspective, while enabling a more realistic representation of the phenomenon, it does not provide the scholar with a set of prescriptive ready to use governance practices.

Il contributo intende proporre una lettura dell’attuale riforma dei beni culturali (con particolare riferimento al D.M. del 23/12/2014), meritevole di aver proposto nel settore di riferimento la riscoperta dei principi di autonomia decisionale in capo ai decision makers e dell’autosufficienza delle organizzazioni museali. Ciò perché si ritiene che solo il recupero di tali principi consenta ai direttori museali (o di polo, secondo la Riforma) di perseverare nel proprio orientamento al marketing rispondendo, così, alle aspettative del mercato. A tal fine, si proporrà una breve ricostruzione dei dibattiti politico e scientifico sul tema della governance museale, attraverso l’individuazione di una direttrice comune: la necessità di avviare e sostenere il processo di managerializzazione di un intero indotto che ripone nella categoria cognitiva e mercatistica definita “cultura” e nella locuzione “patrimonio artistico e culturale” le maggiori probabilità di generare “valori” per i musei, per i territori e per la Nazione. Nel dare rilevanza a tali assunti, il presente contributo sintetizza quanto il gruppo di ricerca ha condotto finora in ragione del piano di indagine longitudinale teso ad accertare la presenza e la portata di certe dinamiche di governance ed organizzative riferite al sistema museale italiano.

Purpose of the paper: The paper aims at adding a new contribution to the field of Medical Tourism by proposing a Situationist View of the phenomenon. In doing this, we have taken into account the global dimension of Medical Tourism, thus widening the well-known neo-institutional framework. Methods: We scanned Business Source Premier, Elsevier Freedom Collection, and JSTOR, using “Medical Tourism and neo-institutionalism” search criteria. After realizing the lack of resources about the topic, we matched the available contributions about Medical Tourism and neo - institutionalism in order to develop a new theoretical framework. Findings: The original neo-institutional model has been widened for the first time in order to provide a better understanding of Medical Tourism’s worldwide dimension. Originality and limits of the study: The main contribution of the paper is its potential to reach beyond the more narrowly focused journals where many of the contributions about Medical Tourism reside. The lack of empirical evidence is one of the main limits of the paper. Because of the innovativeness of the developed theoretical framework, future investigations need to be carried out. Practical Implications: The developed theoretical framework provides the basis for a better understanding of Medical Tourism at a global level, as well as of the dynamics that underlie it. Additionally, our paper poses new and interesting research questions about the potential sustainability of Medical Tourism at a societal level, thus requiring future investigation into the issue.

The paper focuses on health social network, as websites where patients can find medical information at a number of different levels –since services offered range from emotional support to self-tracking and to clinical trial access. To monitor them, in 2005 the World Health Organisation (WHO) founded the Global Observatory for eHealth (GOe), with the scope to certify health-care-on-the-web through an ethical code (HON, Health On the Net). It has been realized in order to facilitate the distribution of useful and reliable information on the web among citizens. Moving from a previous empirical contribute, and subsequently revised with the additionof a new area based to a set of items referring to economic and relational returns, we have carried out a research aiming atinvestigating potential relations between the rating and the economicand relationalbenefitsgained by an eHealth website. In addition, through descriptive and correlation analyses,it has been possible to weigh the attributes (referring to theeconomicand relational returns) due to the positioning of a website.

Purpose of the paper: This study aims to analyze the role of Italian universities in the ‘managerialization’ process of the cultural heritage sector, which is under a major process of change, merged in the recent reform of the Italian museums’ system. Methodology: This work adopts the new-institutionalism perspective to draw a quali-quantitative analysis of the offer of masters in Management (at both first and second level) of the Italian Universities. In particular, it presents a content analysis of the most recurrent profiles of masters activated by Italian Universities that are consistent with the issues of the cultural heritage sector. Findings: The main finding of the research is the presence of ‘window dressing’ in which the real contents of the master are not contextualized in the cultural sector. Research limits: This work gives only the results of a first step of analysis. The group wishes for an extended time of work aimed at developing a longitudinal analysis of processes of formation. Practical implications: This study, by bringing out the close interconnections between universities and the cultural heritage sector, reveals the necessity of a partnership that makes more coherent the educational path and the demands of the cultural sector. Originality of the paper: This study presents a content analysis on the most recurrent profiles of masters activated by Italian Universities that are consistent with the issues of the cultural heritage sector, in order to observe the presence of “normative isomorphism”.

Obiettivo del paper. Il lavoro ha l’obiettivo di proporne una visione ‘situazionista’, alternativa alla visione prevalente che considera tali processi animati da razionalità sistemica tesa a giustificare una linearità che, concretamente, appare fortemente fuorviante. Metodologia. Si pongono a confronto due paradigmi interpretativi dell’impresa fornendo una differente chiave di lettura di cosa sia l’innovazione e, conseguentemente, di quali siano i processi attraverso i quali essa si delinea. Risultati. Lo spunto è la rivisitazione del concetto di innovazione che, da costrutto immanente, diviene partecipato da una serie di attori che non sempre lo legano al recupero di efficienza o efficacia. Esso, viceversa, può essere il risultato di decisioni tese a legittimare l’impresa nei confronti delle istituzioni e di altri attori chiave operanti in un dato “campo organizzativo”. Originalità e limiti della ricerca. L’opzione situazionista può essere intesa come elemento di originalità del lavoro in quanto invita a prendere coscienza sia dell’esistenza di decisioni basate su aspetti politici (o del potere), sia di processi tesi all’acquisizione di legittimità. L’assenza, in questo contributo, di uno studio empirico, seppur presentando un completo quadro teorico, può costituire un limite del lavoro. Implicazioni pratiche. La rilettura dei processi di innovazione proposta consente di ampliare il numero degli schemi manageriali e di decision making con schemi e modelli che pongano al centro le strategie negoziali. Altresì, il recupero di alcuni costrutti cognitivi (isomorfismo e miti razionalizzanti) apre la strada ad una visione meno ingenua sulle dinamiche organizzative dalle quale prendono corpo, in concreto, i processi innovativi.

Obiettivi. Il lavoro analizza le dinamiche di governance dei musei statali italiani in chiave situazionista. Il focus è su: il ruolo giocato dagli attori (Direttori/executive) coinvolti nella governance del patrimonio artistico-culturale nazionale; le pressioni istituzionali in grado di orientare le condotte dei Direttori dei musei; l’attivazione di processi isomorfici e di decoupling da parte di quest’ultimi. Metodologia.Il lavoro ha previsto una ricerca on-field che ha coinvolto la popolazione dei Direttori responsabili delle organizzazioni museali italiane, tesa a verificare la presenza di processi isomorfici e di decoupling nelle condotte strategiche dagli stessi adottate. A tal scopo sono state condotte le seguenti analisi: descrittiva, cluster e tavole di contingenza. Risultati. L’analisi sul campo ha consentito di rilevare, in prima istanza, un prevalente orientamento alla conservazione del patrimonio artistico-culturale del campione indagato a fronte di una limitata propensione alla valorizzazione dello stesso. In seconda istanza ha fatto rilevare la propensione dei Direttori ad adottare condotte strategiche isomorfiche e di decoupling. Limiti della ricerca.La prospettiva situazionista nel puntare ad una rappresentazione più realistica del fenomeno, non fornisce allo studioso un set di pratiche di governace prescrittive “pronte per l’uso”. Implicazioni pratiche.La rilettura della governance delle organizzazioni museali in chiave situazionista sollecita gli operatori del settore a rivedere la portata di modelli predittivi e, al contempo, puntare sulla capacità di lettura del contesto competitivo oltre che istituzionale. Originalità del lavoro. Il contributo fornisce al lettore l’opportunità di riconoscere nei processi isomorfici e/o di decoupling la naturale conseguenza di un framework normativo frammentato.

Objectives. This study, which adopts a situationist perspective, analyzes the governance dynamics of Italian museum organizations. It focuses on the role played by the actors involved in the governance practices of the national artistic-cultural heritage, the institutional pressures brought to bear on the conduct of museum directors, and the initiation of isomorphic and decoupling processes by the actors. Methodology. We conducted field research to verify the presence of isomorphic and decoupling processes in the strategic behavior of directors responsible for Italian state museums. To this end, we developed descriptive, cluster, and cross-tabulation analyses. Findings. The field research first detected a widespread emphasis on the protection of the artistic-cultural heritage. Secondly, it revealed a tendency for museum directors to adopt isomorphic and decoupling strategies. Research limits. Although the situationist perspective enabled a more realistic representation of the phenomenon, it did not provide a set of prescriptive ready-to-use governance practices. Practical implications. These new insights into the governance of museums from the situationist perspective should stimulate the sector’s actors to review and extend the use of predictive models and to acquire the skills needed to understand the competitive nature of institutional environments. The study should also show the way forward to further studies on the role of directors and a wider understanding of this topic. Originality of the study. This study gives the reader the opportunity to recognize isomorphic and/or decoupling processes as the inevitable result of a fragmented regulatory framework.

The working paper is inspired by some corporate governance dynamics in museum organizations. From the methodological point of view, the analysis adopts the key of the ‘situationist’ approach. This allows us to: find out the role of the actors involved in the artistic and cultural heritage processes; show the relations of power between the actors involved in a pro-tempore governance of the museum organizations; detect institutions’ behavioursact to influence the activities of the director and executives, in general, in museums. Referring to the analysis on the corporate governance dynamics, the working paper aims at proposing: a brief reconstruction of the framework that opens to the concept of artistic and cultural heritage; a summary of the main topicsabout the theoretical approach adopted;a first report about some results coming from an on field qualitative survey through interviewsto experts. In so doing, the working group has surveyed the isomorphismprocesses, the adverse selection and rationalizing myths that, we believe, justify the ‘ultraconservative policy’ of the director and of the executivesof the museum organizations.

This chapter analyses the governance dynamics of Italian museum organizations adopting a ‘situationist’ perspective in order to detect: the role played by the actors (e.g. directors/executive) involved in the governance of the National artistic-cultural heritage; the influence of the political system on the conducts of the directors of the museums; the power relations among these actors and the National Institutions. This work proposes a summary of the scientific and political debates. In particular, the political debate is presented through a brief reconstruction of the Italian institutional framework. The analysis of both of debates help us to identify the so-called ‘recurring themes’ that have fed the political agenda and the research hypotheses of major scholars. Finally, the last sections provide a new reading of the dynamics of museums governance by using some conceptual categories of the theoretical ‘situationist’ approach.

The paper investigates the ‘professionalization’ process of the Italian cultural heritage. In particular, it aims to propose an own interpretation of the ‘professionalization’ process, as a dissemination of ‘good’ practices, adopting the point of view of new institutionalism theory. This theoretical approach frames the professionalization process, and then that of managerialization, as the material and symbolic conditioning that the institutions have on human behavior: the professional has the ability of government and management; through professional training will be ensured the dissemination of the same capacity and then the ‘good’ practices. In this scenario Italian universities seem to contribute to the dissemination of artistic-cultural heritage management practices. The research, which has purely theoretical aims, starts from a quick reference to the regulatory framework evolution and a synthesis of scientific debate on the governance of cultural heritage; then, it will propose a reflection of the role that Universities currently have in the diffusion process of professions for the government and management of cultural heritage. In this way, the paper links the governance of the artistic-cultural heritage with the ‘training process’ that universities do for professionalizing human resources. University nowadays are conducting training projects for ‘cultural manager’, sometimes anticipating the decision of Public Administration, trying to condition them, sometimes following its strategic directions.

This paper tries to examine the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and some Corporate Financial Performance (CFP). CSR is measured by an index of corporate social responsibility disclosure while ROA, ROS andROE are used to measure CFP. The CSR disclosure index gives information about the engagement of firm in corporate, CSR, and staff strategy, social, community, and political investment, environment, consumer, and supplier awareness, voluntary reports and certifications. We test our hypothesis on a sample of Italian listed firms, specifically, our sample is composed both by the 64 companies listed on the STAR market and by a sample of control, composed by the 20 listed companies with the higher capitalization, for a total of 84 corporations. We have hand-collected the data from the annual report and any other available document present in the institutional website of each corporation, for the 2012-2013 financial year. We use the Tobit Regression Model, whose analyses were performed using the statistical software SPSS© and Gretl©. The result of this study indicates that we cannot state that there is a positive relationship between CSR and CF.