In equipment-intensive sectors — such as water utilities, power generation, gas — billions of dollars are spent in capital equipment. We discuss and characterize the optimal policy of a profit-maximizing firm and compare it with the optimal policy of a welfare-maximizing planner. When there...

For a long time family capitalism has been considered to be one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Italian economy. In Italy also large business organizations rely very often on this form of corporate governance. This paper examines both the actual institutional shocks and the missed...

Il miglioramento qualitativo dei prodotti e di servizi alla clientela sono stati individuati, da una vasta letteratura sul tema, quali fattori determinanti per un riposizionamento di mercato. Inoltre, la necessità di un sostegno pubblico ad innovazioni che agiscano sulla qualità (effettiva o...

<em>Innovation and marketing in traditional sectors: some industrial policy implications</em> - In an environment with increasing competition, the importance of taking care of customers through marketing, high quality service and after sale support has been shown to be crucial for getting competitive...

Diversified firms often trade at a discount with respect to their focused counterparts. The literature has tried to explain the apparent misallocation of resources with lobbying activities or power struggles. We show that diversification can destroy value even when resources are efficiently...

The paper first considers a number of theoretical aspects surrounding the ambiguity of the legal framework defining the modern corporation and the two-way relation between technology and property rights. It then looks at the evolution of corporate governance through time, paying particular...