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No. 2 (2021)

Sustainability and corporate governance of benefit corporation: The Illycaffè case study

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/cgrds2-2021oa12550
Submitted
settembre 19, 2021
Published
2022-01-26

Abstract

The last few years have been characterized by the growth of hybrid organizations, firms which present multiple functional domains and the coexistence of different value systems. They have an enlarged corporate governance model that requires the assumption of responsibility towards not only the shareholders, but also towards all stakeholders.
So, the aim of this paper is to explore the three aspects of governance that characterize a hybrid organization, the balancing of different logics, the monitoring of actions and results and external communication, in order to identify the actions to be implemented to solve the managerial tensions of this organizational model. In order to achieve the research’s goal, the authors consider Italian benefit corporations that pursue both profit and common benefit. The empirical evidences deriving from the case study presented about Italian firm, Illycaffè, create new knowledge about corporate governance and sustainability management literature.

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