Opinions

Fiscal backstops to address extreme financial needs that arise because of a systemic crisis are not yet in place. Guarantees to banks are hard to calibrate, as both leniency and restrictiveness have risks, but an emergency plan should exist

Italian hotel owners and tourist operators that have incurred heavy losses this summer should look at their US counterparts, and learn how to manage weather risk through new financial instruments

The aging of the population introduces new challenges to companies, as an inverting demographic pyramid requires different goods and services. The first: segmenting the over 65 group in terms of economic means, health and interests

SDA Bocconi School of management considers business resilience, by looking at 705 firms which have successfully reacted to the crisis. What emerges is a step by step method to help firms build a culture that can overcome crises and implement a lasting model

Italian firms which managed to double sales between 2007 and 2012 have specialized in hard to imitate goods. They have also made investments that allow them to achieve a sustainable scale, that is, bigger than the typical Italian family owned SME

The scarce utilization of the new and expensive BreBeMi highway teaches stern lessons about investment in infrastructure. Foreseeble cost overruns that went unnoticed have forced the investors into a tight spot that might have been avoided with better preparation