MILITARY SITE'S CONVERSION MANAGEMENT PROCESS AND FIRM'S COMPETITIVENESS: ENTREPRENEURIAL EVIDENCES

The main goal of this study is to propose a decision-making approach to explore the relationship between military air bases’s conversion processes and firm’s competitiveness. During the past four decades the conversion of Defense air bases to new civilian uses played a central role in determining social and economic regional competitiveness, demonstrating that the management process have impacts on urban assets, agglomeration economies, urban infrastructures, labor and cost factors, development policies. Also Competitiveness, mainly that of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), has constituted a very interesting research field over the past 20 years. Nevertheless the relevant impact on firm’s strategy and performance, few researchers in strategic management and governance have investigated the effectiveness of site’s conversion process to increasing firms competitiveness. The paper shows how the conversion processes on an integrated services area can create business opportunity, can facilitate entry in new markets, facilitate new innovation processes, facilitate new management, control and commercial services, increases business linkages and agreements for local firms (Business Networking). The study presents the case of conversion process of ex Nato Base of Comiso (Sicily), important military site in regional area characterized by high entrepreneurial development. Eempirical evidence of the case study consists of a European benchmarking conversion bases and of a survey of 48 local firms. Finally the study presents valuable conversion projects and strategic perspectives for managers, entrepreneurs and policy-makers.