Corporate social responsibility as a tool for competitiveness and sustainability of local systems: The case of water buffalo meat in Campania region

In the scenario of global competition, the territorial dimension of development is assuming an increasing strategic role as the global dimension emphasizes the challenges of strategic positioning and the defining role for the territories which have to struggle with new forms of competition. To cope with new levels of competition development strategies should be identified to enable an increase in competitiveness, both in the local context and in the global context, but in terms of sustainability. The objective of this paper is to contribute to the broad debate on sustainable competitive development in a regional key, highlighting the importance of the close link between the competitive position of a given territorial context and the protection of the integrity of natural resources, including cultural factors and the landscape. However, this requires the adoption of behavioral patterns of business and individuals working in a long-term perspective and based on the principles of social responsibility. The strong interdependence between the firm and the external environment implys that the corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a fundamental element for safeguarding environmental heritage and culture resources and therefore, more generally, the environmental sustainability of regional systems. In this scenario, the water buffalo supply chain in Campania region (South of Italy) presents an explicative case to understand the huge potential opportunities inherent to environmental protection and sustainable development paths and how CSR can really become a source of competitive advantage and a differentiation tool.