For-Benefit Company (fBComp): An innovative social-business model. The Italian case

In 2015, a new kind of company was introduced by law in Italy: the for-Benefit Company (fBComp). Such firms are characterized by a relevant novelty: they are for-profit companies whose statute explicitly recognizes and intends the impact of managerial decisions on the wellbeing of society as well as of its shareholders. This study suggests on the fBComp as a new “social” business model (SBM) which integrates social and competitive behaviors. Thereby, the company achieves its objectives by creating and maintaining biunivocal relations with stakeholders, co-creating contextual sustainability conditions, increasing its reputation and positioning compared to its competitors. By conducting a desk analysis on the results of the Italian Report on fBComp, this paper designs a portrait of this innovative social business model's main features and explains its possibly far-reaching, trendsetting and curing influences on the transition of management practices towards mutual stakeholders' wellbeing and a sustainable society.