LIBRI DI ALBERTO PIRANI

The authors suggest that the extent of fraudulent seafood sales reported in recent years is, in some way, correlated to the questions regarding Italian commercial fishnaming- policy. However, given the scarcity of data and studies, the work is necessarily exploratory in nature, focusing on three main issues: the policy framework for seafood-labeling, the evolution of lists of trade names for fish species, and the extent, as well as the different types, of fraudulent sales recorded. From the available data the authors believe that the fish-naming system is improving, however, the scarcity of studies aimed at estimating the real amount of diversification in trade names for marine species would seen to be an obstacle to the adoption of a succesful policy. Furthermore, seafood retailers seems to be assuming an important role in fraud management, hence the government should support research to innovative species-detection methods which could be applied directly to retailers’ quality insurance systems. This would be a win-win strategy, preventing fraudulent behaviour and reducing the costs attributable to public inspections.

Innovazione e competitività nella trasformazione di prodotti da agricoltura biologica: il caso delle imprese artigiane agro-alimentari lombarde - Innovation and competitiveness of organic food artisan enterprise in Lombardy The present work is inspired by the observation that today "innovation" is frequently a key word for Italian food industry. It seems that this is the only way to successfully face global market. We can see that the food industry is following two different strategies: on one hand there are enterprises, more and more specialized, industrial production oriented whereas on the other hand there are enterprises oriented towards high quality, value added and niche productions. The aim of this work is to investigate behaviour of organic artisan enterprises in Lombardy and to take it as an example of how much innovation helps to increase small enterprise’s competitiveness. Particularly the study regards two of the main regional supply chains, dairying and cereal from organic agriculture. It tries to determinate new ways to get good economic performance and, consequently, new ways to take part in the strategic choices. The work tries to check also acquisitions of innovation and which role innovation plays in a business strategy based on an upgraded concept of differentiation. This means, therefore, to focus the attention on the strategic nature of innovative choices and to define what each artisan enterprise is able to do: in an exclusive way; distinguishing it from the contenders; showing it to costumers; maintaining a special position in the market. The method of survey to define resources and ability of each organic artisan firm of the sample, is the Dynamic capabilities approach. The study evidences the key-resource and the key-capabilities combination on which is based the introduced innovation and it describes the main course of this particular sector. The data reveal a prevailing asset: marketing ability is the opportunity that a lot of enterprises efficiently use to differentiate the own distributive system - export is an example - and also to satisfy different customers. This attitude shows a resources and capability configuration more complex than the other. A systematic approach toward innovation in small enterprise, involving all the actors of the supply chain, could carry best economic improvements. Organic market, despite of the conventional one, is a new sector and it offers several opportunities to successful marketing initiative. New products, new services, new communications can attract more customers at all levels.

JEL Codes: Q13, L10

Key words: innovation, competitiveness, firm strategy, agricultural and food-artisan Enterprises

Il volume approfondisce alcuni aspetti di rilievo in materia di “misure di gestione per lo sfruttamento sostenibile delle risorse della pesca nel mar Mediterraneo”. La Politica Comunitaria per la Pesca, difatti, intende fissare nuove regole per la protezione e la conservazione delle specie marine e per la sostenibilità ambientale e sociale. Alla luce di ciò nasce l’esigenza di individuare strumenti innovativi di gestione sostenibile delle risorse e comportamenti responsabili.

I risultati del progetto di ricerca “Analisi economica delle filiere biologiche in Lombardia e strategie di valorizzazione”. Il secondo volume, rivolto alle fasi finali della filiera, si concentra sulle imprese di trasformazione allo scopo di valutare il ruolo strategico dei prodotti biologici nell’ambito delle attività aziendali. Il testo cerca di individuare le caratteristiche principali del commercio di tali prodotti, e analizza la dinamica dei consumi di alimenti biologici per trovare iniziative di marketing capaci di concorrere allo sviluppo del mercato.