Abstract Book of the 9th International Conference on Applied Research in Management, Business and Economics
Year: 2025
DOI:
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Società Benefit: A Hybrid Business Model- A Literature Review
LuciaTalarico, Enrico Gonnella
ABSTRACT:
Italy was among the first countries worldwide, and the first in Europe, to enshrine the Società benefit model in national law. Specifically, Law No. 208 of 28 December 2015 establishes that such entities pursue, in addition to the traditional objective of profit distribution, one or more goals of common benefit, thereby institutionalizing a dual-purpose approach. This legal innovation reflects an emerging paradigm of hybrid organizing, wherein enterprises are structurally designed to integrate financial objectives with social and environmental commitments. Notably, the Italian model requires an explicit balancing of these aims. This framework responds to growing societal expectations that business organizations actively contribute to the protection of human rights, social welfare, and ecological sustainability, without relinquishing the generation and distribution of profit. The authors present a review of the literature after describing the distinctive features of the new legal business model.
keywords: Benefit Corporation, Corporate Purpose, Corporate Social Responsibility, ESG, Business Model