Integration management in networks’ value creation. An empirical analysis of high quality tourist offer in Southern Italy

The new competitive environment has generated an increasing recourse to cooperation in tourism, almost aimed at local development (Beccatini, 1991; Putman, 1993; Cappellin, 1998). Particularly, the paper will value the strategic elasticity and flexibility degree in inter-firms networks, and the advantage of taking part to a network, also in terms of systemic resources and competences (Gulati, Nohria, Zaheer, 2000; Gulati, 2007). This overview, starting from the typical resource-based theory (Barney, 1991) setting, is also its progress, because it gets reference to both “owned or controlled” resources and competences (Wernerfelt, 1984; Barney, 2002) by firms and to those anyway “available” for firms involved in a network (networks interactions and relationships). This is with the aim of developing offers able to create a higher total value than individual one, in a continuous interactive relationship with clients. It is fundamental to understand the need or the opportunity of aimed governance and leadership choices. In this direction, the paper will analyze co-plan patterns for the development of network’s strategies, focusing on the concept of value, generable by resources and competences integration. A new model of touristic inter-firms networks management will be proposed and applied empirically on quality tourism areas of Southern Italy, characterized by high level quality in offer. The study will deepen the process of planning, building and development of an interregional Product Club for a set up of integrated hospitality offer of excellence, aimed at sustainability of Southern Italy’s tourism.