The scope of this paper is to provide an illustration of how social co-operatives can consistently pursue their social mission whilst retaining economic sustainability. We rely on case study analysis of an Italian social co-operative. Since 1991 social co-operatives have been conceived in the Italian legislation as mutual-benefit entrepreneurial organisations with a social character. The social objective was nested into the mutualistic structure, while the multi-stakeholder governance and the accumulation of socialized assets made the social co-operative similar to more traditional non-profit forms. Our study was conducted at CEFF (Educational Co-operative for the Faenza Families), an organisation that comprises two social co-operatives located in Faenza, (Emilia-Romagna, Italy), offering both employability services and labour integration for the disadvantaged. CEFF is a suitable case to contribute to an understanding of the emergence, sustainability and resilience of the co-operative business model. First, we offer an analysis of the structure and development of governance at CEFF, as an illustration of the emergence of a multi-stakeholder co-operative. Second, by analysing its evolution over time, we aim at shedding new light on the social nature of cooperation within a competitive market economy, on the ways in which co-operatives can generate and distribute social value across an integrated (horizontal) value chain by means of networking.

The social value of multi-stakeholder co-operatives: the case of the CEFF system in Italy / Tortia, Ermanno Celeste; Sacchetti, Silvia. - ELETTRONICO. - 746:(2013). (Intervento presentato al convegno SIDE - ISLE 2013 - 9th Annual Conference - Lugano tenutosi a Lugano nel 12-13/12/2013).

The social value of multi-stakeholder co-operatives: the case of the CEFF system in Italy

Tortia, Ermanno Celeste;Sacchetti, Silvia
2013-01-01

Abstract

The scope of this paper is to provide an illustration of how social co-operatives can consistently pursue their social mission whilst retaining economic sustainability. We rely on case study analysis of an Italian social co-operative. Since 1991 social co-operatives have been conceived in the Italian legislation as mutual-benefit entrepreneurial organisations with a social character. The social objective was nested into the mutualistic structure, while the multi-stakeholder governance and the accumulation of socialized assets made the social co-operative similar to more traditional non-profit forms. Our study was conducted at CEFF (Educational Co-operative for the Faenza Families), an organisation that comprises two social co-operatives located in Faenza, (Emilia-Romagna, Italy), offering both employability services and labour integration for the disadvantaged. CEFF is a suitable case to contribute to an understanding of the emergence, sustainability and resilience of the co-operative business model. First, we offer an analysis of the structure and development of governance at CEFF, as an illustration of the emergence of a multi-stakeholder co-operative. Second, by analysing its evolution over time, we aim at shedding new light on the social nature of cooperation within a competitive market economy, on the ways in which co-operatives can generate and distribute social value across an integrated (horizontal) value chain by means of networking.
2013
Italian Society Law and Economics - 9th Annual Conference
Lugano
SIDE-ISLE - Societa' Italiana Diritto ed Economia
Tortia, Ermanno Celeste; Sacchetti, Silvia
The social value of multi-stakeholder co-operatives: the case of the CEFF system in Italy / Tortia, Ermanno Celeste; Sacchetti, Silvia. - ELETTRONICO. - 746:(2013). (Intervento presentato al convegno SIDE - ISLE 2013 - 9th Annual Conference - Lugano tenutosi a Lugano nel 12-13/12/2013).
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11572/68181
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