Managerial Studies: An Italian Perspective
| Date | 01 September 2011 |
| Author | Donatella Depperu |
| Published date | 01 September 2011 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2011.00772.x |
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Managerial Studies: An Italian Perspective
Donatella Depperu
Universita
`Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, via Emilia Parmense 84, 29122 Piacenza, Italy
Email: donatella.depperu@unicatt.it
The last 20 years have been very important for
managerial studies in Italy. There are several
reasons for this. The growing importance of
managerial issues within Italian firms is due to
the trend towards globalization;
the shift between first, second, third and
fourth entrepreneurial generations;
increased competitive pressures from foreign
competitors (principally, but not exclusively,
from developing countries);
the transformation from a monopolistic into a
competitive structure in some industries (e.g.
broadcasting and the telecommunication
industries).
As a result of all these factors, Italian firms have
manifested an increasing need for solutions,
responses to their doubts and queries, and
support from managerial studies.
The interaction between the factors mentioned
below has reshaped managerial studies from both
a content and a methodological perspective:
the generational shift for management
scholars;
the introduction of reforms by successive
education ministries;
the trend towards globalization in the
university sector;
the reduction in financial support for univer-
sities on the part of the state.
Until the 1990s the Italian approach to
managerial studies was characterized as follows.
The central importance of the Italian school of
thought was developed in the 1920s and strongly
influenced by Gino Zappa and a few other
scholars in the field. For years after, managerial
studies grew out of the theories and models of
these ‘founding fathers’ and any significant study
was required to build on them. The Italian
language was used exclusively. Book publication
(as opposed to research papers) was very
important for one’s academic career. Researchers
were required to produce complete books in
order to demonstrate a capacity to study a
specific issue in depth and from a variety of
viewpoints. This also explains why, until recently,
the field was dominated by a qualitative
approach. There was a focus on rather broad
issues, relevant to the domestic economy or
domestic firms (i.e. managerial issues for small
and medium sized firms; family business manage-
ment; corporate governance). Importance was
given to the accounting side of management and
to the history of accounting. Importance was
given to public administration management. As a
consequence, many studies were focused on
public administration and organizational, strate-
gic and administrative issues.
Since the end of the 20th century there have
been considerable changes and the trend is now
towards the globalization of managerial studies.
There are significantimplications to these changes.
Globalization has obliged Italian researchers to
take into consideration foreign points of reference
much more so than previously. Something similar
had already occurred in some fields, given that
managerial studies in Italy had clearly always had
a close relationship with the Anglo-Saxon schools.
Now, however, a significant number of researchers
pay more attention to foreign studies and foreign
scholars than domestic ones.
This heightened dependence on foreign studies
has significantly affected the publications of
Italian academics. In terms of ‘negative trade-
off’ there has also been a tendency to lose the
strong cultural identity that had characterized
Italian academia and a shift from qualitative to
British Journal of Management, Vol. 22, 545–547 (2011)
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8551.2011.00772.x
r2011 The Author
British Journal of Management r2011 British Academy of Management. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd,
9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA, 02148, USA.
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