LA COMPETITIVITÀ RESPONSABILE NELLE PMI: STRATEGIA VINCENTE NEI TERRITORI “NEMICI”

The roots of this research lie in the awareness that there is a relationship of mutual
interdependence between small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the local system.
These firms are strongly rooted in the territory from which they draw resources often not
available inside the firms.
The competitiveness of the territory positively influences the competitiveness of those
enterprises able to establish relationships with the local actors. But what happens when the
territory that was a fertile basis becomes an enemy?
This research poses the hypothesis that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is
introduced as an enterprise-level strategy to overcome the negative effects produced by
the territory and to restore the level of competitiveness of the firm. In fact if the CSR efforts
are organised in a synergistic way, they can create a virtuous path in which the enterprise
efforts stimulate improvements in the local network, which then regenerates resources and
competencies usable by the enterprises located within it