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Article published In: Narrative Inquiry
Vol. 27:1 (2017) ► pp.187–207

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Narrating “Made in Italy”

Brand and responsibility in Italian corporations

 | University of California, Irvine
 | Binghamton University (SUNY)
Published online: 3 August 2017
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.27.1.10koh
Abstract
In this article, we examine how executives in Italian family-owned firms use their corporations’ histories to associate particular moral discourses of cultural values, responsibility, and authenticity with the “Made in Italy” brand. These links render Made in Italy a national brand – a brand representing all goods produced in Italy and an “authentic” national treasure. Through an analysis of Italian executives’ oral narratives, this article explores how collective identities are constructed in interview settings and how Made in Italy emerges through the various stances that these managers take regarding certain topics. We focus on the ways Italian executives align their corporate narratives, family histories, and brand identities with circulating ideologies on the significance of Made in Italy. By looking at how Italian managers enact Made in Italy as a national brand with collective responsibilities, this article contributes to recent research on narrative discursive practices in the corporate world.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Collective responsibility and made in Italy
  • Enacting made in Italy in and through oral narrative
  • Collecting stories in the Italian business world
  • Solemnity and authenticity in Mantua, Lombardy
  • Collective responsibility in Vicenza, Veneto
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Transcription conventions
  • References
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