Conviviality as a tool for entrepreneurial communities and market as networks

Venue: Aula Kessler, Sociology Building, via Verdi 26 (Trento)
Time: 2pm

Speaker:

• Simone Guercini, University of Florence

Discussants:

• Saverio Minardi, University of Trento
• Lucia Pederiva, University of Trento

Abstract

This article takes a step toward building of conviviality behavior in entrepreneurial communities and business networks. The actual experience of entrepreneurs suggests the importance of convivial events in entrepreneurial communities, especially to foster social and business networks in industrial markets. Yet little research effort has been devoted to elucidating the factors at play in achieving such effects. With the aim of contributing to closing this gap in the business literature, we have adopted a multidisciplinary approach to investigating and elaborating on the concept of conviviality as this behavior influences business networks. Two cases of entrepreneurial communities in the Italian fashion industry are examined with the aim of gaining insight on the role played by conviviality in the development of the producers' ability to conduct business in their respective industrial markets. The main results of the paper include three research propositions for a research agenda regarding the role of conviviality in entrepreneurial communities.

Keywords: Conviviality, communities, business marketing, entrepreneurship, networks, consortium, association, fashion industry