Sustainability has been interpreted in family business research as the outcome of typical organizational dynamics, such as a moderate aversion to risk and a lack of intent to innovate. Drawing on the systems theory, this study identifies the key drivers for a broader conceptualization of sustainability for family businesses, based on the interplay of three interacting systems. A multiple case study research design involving companies belonging to Les Henokiens (an association of bicentenary family businesses) has been conducted in this systemic conceptualization. Unlike the assumptions presented in other research, our proposals suggest that fluctuating levels of risk taking and propensity to innovate may be a management response that occurs when the equilibrium of these interacting systems is in danger. This study's contribution is that it validates the systems theory as the leading theoretical perspective in family business research, which may help overcome 'management paradoxes' resulting from the overlap of conflicting systems.

This research paper explores Italian study programs in data science in order to verify if knowledge and skills developed during the universities' path are fit with data scientist job demand. The issue is introduced considering the companies' growing need to derive insights from data, and consequently, to search for a staff with analytical expertise, the so-called data scientists quite rare. Literature review is focused on the data scientist's specific characteristics. According to the ideal profile, the data scientist should possess skills enabling the scientific collection, analysis and use of quantitative data in addition to managerial and communication skills, ensuring profitable interactions with decision-makers. The methodology introduces an innovative semi-automatic linguistic analysis of textual data, which enriches traditional statistical methods in text annotation and increasingly constitutes a key step to retrieve more and more precise information from large corpora. As results, the data scientist education in Italy is not widespread and the skills match highlights significant gaps between universities and companies in developing programming and software development skills. In conclusion, an intensive university-business cooperation in order to prepare future professionals, in line with technological trends and company requirements, could contribute to fill this gap, producing positive effects for the social and economic development.

Purpose -The role of metaphors in information management has generally been acknowledged due to their ability to convey immediately huge amounts of information and richness. Their role is more and more important in the current digital context of communication and marketing activities, as the decision speed and accuracy are crucial. The aim of this study is thus to analyse physical metaphors as tools for making sequential decisions to achieve effective Integrated Corporate Communication (ICC).Design/methodology/approach -The paper draws on critical analysis of literature on corporate communication and stakeholder management as building blocks for implementing an integrated approach to corporate communications.Findings -A revision of two well-known physical metaphors in the communication literature (the "wheel" and "umbrella") has been proposed. It is argued that integrated communication within corporate communications is more complex than in marketing communications, since it involves a greater variety of elements to coordinate and harmonize. The proposed physical metaphors suggest an effective sequential decision-making as they allow a clear distinction between different decision levels.Research limitations/implications -The paper adds to the debate on the link between theory and practice of ICC. From a practical standpoint, the proposed metaphors as simple and concrete tools for handling complex information and ICC problems could aid novice practitioners and students of corporate communications courses.Originality/value -The paper shows that while scholars have concurred that integrated corporate communication is crucial for different type of organisations, the use of physical metaphors can be beneficial for the reality-based challenge of ICC. Key words: integrated corporate communication, physical metaphors, communication mix, message coordination 2 IntroductionUntil the end of '80s, in the traditional approach to marketing communications, companies and communication agencies create separate plans for each communication technique, such as advertising, direct marketing, sales promotions, etc. In most cases, the result was a fragmentation of information about the company/brand that was perceived in a different way according to the different type of communication means used. From the early '90s, an integrated approach to communication has been progressively introduced to use the same communication tools and to reinforce each other. By communicating the same information in advertising messages, in press releases and in direct mails, companies are in fact able to improve the effectiveness of communication.The basic principle of coordinating communication activities has thus been referred to by authors wishing to see a convergence of the Corporate affairs/Public Relations and Marketing functions of companies, based on shared concepts and methodologies (e.g., Kotler and Mindak, 1978;Porterfield, 1980;Smith, 2012).The integrated communication paradigm then spread under the name of "Integrated Marketing Communi...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss the way internships are currently evaluated in Campania Universities by host institutions. Design/methodology/approach The author collected and described questionnaires used by the universities of the Regional Observatory of Campania University System. These questionnaires are given by the host institutions to interns to fill out, and they evaluate skills growth in terms of initial and final assessment. Data related to these questionnaires are not publicly available, therefore the main data source comes from 732 post-internship questionnaires collected by the University of Suor Orsola Benincasa in 2013-2014. Findings Out of the 732 participants considered, 65 per cent rated excellent for motivation and interest, 55 per cent were rated excellent for the responsibility demonstrated, but only 37 per cent were rated excellent for the level of work autonomy achieved: a signal of the need to better prepare students for internships. Cross-technical and professional skills, which increase of +37 and +32 per cent, suggest that the experience has a very positive value. Regarding the experience outcome, the author detected a positive indicator: in 6 per cent of cases, an early employment occurred. Research limitations/implications It has only been possible to analyze the questionnaires from one of the Campania universities. The results encourage us to explore further, extending instruments and research methods at a national level, too. Originality/value The author built a research database form to compare current questionnaires in Campania. The author collected internship evaluation data from Suor Orsola University to propose a common questionnaire among Campania Universities. By sharing the findings, other universities, national and international, could benefit from the results.

The growing interest in corporate sustainability (CS) orientation and the increasing attention on stakeholder engagement practices suggest to adopt new models and methods of decision-making for online corporate communication management. The working paper aims at highlighting the most significant principles, tools and content of communication for sustainability through corporate websites in order to create a successful value-proposition. The study draws from different fields of study, integrating approaches such as the Service Science Management and Engineering+Designand Viable Systems Approach. The proposed framework for CS communication on corporate websites has been defined in order to create value for the organization and increase reputational capital. The framework includes four main dimensions containing measurable sub-items. They focused on: orientation to sustainability; items belonging to the structure related to stakeholder engagement and CS governance tools; items related to content (in terms of their impact on core business and their adherence to communication principles); and process. The paper presents typical limitations of the deductive approach based on literature review. The framework could be used as a comprehensive tool to identify and avoid greenwashing traps in CS communication. This working paper could be considered a first step in a stream of research on a field of study not yet well explored to some extent.