Carmen GALLUCCI | Business Observatory and Virtual Laboratory on Family Business

Members

	GALLUCCI CarmenScientific Director
	SANTULLI ROSALIAMembro
	TIPALDI RiccardoMembro

Mission

Family businesses are the backbone of the Italian business system: dynasties account for nearly 85 percent of the 5 million businesses surveyed in Italy, in addition to the numerous world of small and medium-sized enterprises.
As a result, the Italian family business includes companies of various sizes, stages of development, and sectors, all linked by the overlap of three fundamentally different systems: company, family, and assets. This overlap, however, does not always represent an impediment and constraint to growth.

In recent years, there has been a significant cultural ferment on this topic, which has given birth to the Italian Family Enterprise Research Academy (ITFERA) research network.

The Observatory on Business and Virtual Laboratory on Family Business is dedicated to mapping family businesses, with a special focus on Southern Italy, to identify exemplary cases and derive best practices. The Observatory actively engages in identifying and addressing emerging consulting and training needs, supporting family businesses in implementing tailored interventions that emphasize the interaction between governance structures and financial performance. Additionally, it is committed to raising awareness among family businesses about the challenges of generational transfer—a critical hurdle that significantly impacts business growth and the long-term survival of these enterprises.

Series of the Observatory on Business and Virtual Laboratory on Family Business

The series of the Observatory on business and virtual laboratory on family business has been active since 2012.
The first publication opens the series with a typical theme of the family business, the generational transition, recognized as a critical moment for the continuity of the company.
GALLUCCI C., METALLO G. (a cura di), La Finanza straordinaria per la sfida generazionale: soluzioni negoziali per la continuità,Editoriale Scientifica, Napoli, 2012, ISSN 978-88-6342-354-9, pp. 1-295.

ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH AREAS

Institutional structures and Corporate Governance;
Organizational structures and decision-making processes;
Generational continuity;
Strategy and growth;
Performance evaluation.

Observatory Activities

Applied Research: building a complete and exhaustive map to frame the phenomenon in its many facets;
Ad hoc Research Projects: consultancy support and projects commissioned by companies and organizations;
Organization of training activities and seminars of specific interest: raising awareness of local businesses and policy makers through the organization of training activities on topics of interest and current trends;
Organization of conferences and workshops: this outreach is facilitated by the Observatory’s strong connections with national and international research networks with the participation of scholars and testimonies of entrepreneurs who have had successful experiences;
Publication and dissemination of the activities through the series, the website and the network. The dissemination of research results takes place thanks to the close connection with national and foreign research networks.

Unique Elements of the Observatory

What makes the Observatory unique is its integrated approach to analyzing the family business landscape, with a particular focus on Southern Italy. It combines academic rigor with an in-depth understanding of the local entrepreneurial context, maintaining a strong connection to the needs of family businesses. The Observatory fosters continuous dialogue with policymakers and local associations, ensuring that its activities have widespread dissemination within the entrepreneurial community.

Conferences and Scientific Publications

The Observatory on Business and Virtual Laboratory on Family Business is dedicated to organizing scientific conferences, both national and international, to disseminate research findings. An example of this commitment is the " Step Project Global Consortium Global Family Business Summit 2024", held from May 15 to 17, 2024, at the Lloyd’s Baia Hotel in Vietri sul Mare. The event brought together academics from over 50 countries, representing more than 100 universities, and featured 30 academic sessions along with a Ph.D. Junior Faculty Colloquium.

Regarding the publications by the members of the Observatory on the topic of family business, the most recent include:

Gallucci, C., Tipaldi, R., & Santulli, R. (2022). Coming back to life: How business families revitalize "dead money" through family foundations. Corporate Governance Research & Development Studies, 2(2022), 11-38. https://doi.org/10.3280/cgrds2-2022oa13746
Santulli, R., Gallucci, C., Torchia, M., & Calabrò, A. (2022). Family managers' propensity towards mergers and acquisitions: The role of performance feedback. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 29(2), 293-310. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-01-2019-0033
Calabrò, A., Santulli, R., Torchia, M., & Gallucci, C. (2021). Entrepreneurial orientation and family firm performance: The moderating role of TMT identity-based and knowledge-based faultlines. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 45(4), 838-866. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258720973997
Gallucci, C., Santulli, R., & Tipaldi, R. (2021). Family firms as prominent investment organizations of social finance: An empirical analysis of U.S. family foundations. In M. La Torre & H. Chiappini (Eds.), Contemporary issues in sustainable finance (pp. 131-149). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65133-6_7

The Observatory and the Third Mission

In terms of social impact, the cultural initiative “Step Project Global Consortium Global Family Business Summit 2024”, held from May 15 to 17, 2024 at the Lloyd’s Baia Hotel in Vietri sul Mare, saw significant contributions from entrepreneurs from various countries, who participated in 14 panel sessions dedicated to practitioners focusing on the four pillars of the Summit (Sustainability, Family, Legacy, Wellbeing). The event was further enriched by 5 company visits and 3 keynote speeches.

The Observatory is also involved in scientific dissemination initiatives, as demonstrated by its participation in the “Sud Innovation Summit”, which will take place on October 3-4 in Messina. With over 3,000 attendees and 3,500 streaming participants in 2023, the Sud Innovation Summit is the largest event on innovation and digitalization in Southern Italy. The Observatory participates in the Sud Innovation Summit with two publications: one dedicated to technology transfer in the Campania Region and the other focused on the analysis of the family office phenomenon and family holdings active in Southern Italy from a wealth management perspective.