Governing human relations to promote Local Service Systems in processes of internationalization

Currently in public-private organizations, governance has changed in nature, in intensity, as well as in the variety of stakeholder expectations. Our study aims to qualify the relations created between the strategic actors of a territory and the developing of a local network to facilitate the internationalization process. In particular, the role is analyzed of Intertrade – the Special Agency of the Chamber of Commerce (CCIAA) of Salerno for the internationalization of SMEs – seeing as it is the Institution that mediates, coordinates and promotes local service systems in international scenarios. The main constraints to the development of internationalized SMEs are represented by the gap relative to cognitive and managerial opportunities in international markets and the lack of an adequate competitive, economic structure in global contexts. For this reason, a smart entity for governing the mediation process of stakeholder expectations would be desirable. Therefore, Intertrade is analyzed on the basis of its coordinating role. The institutional mission of the Agency is the promotion of SMEs in the Salerno area on international markets. Two main lines of action characterize the role of Intertrade (Globus, 2010): a) training and information to consolidate and support existing know-how; b) the creation of contacts abroad, in close connection with the Chamber of Commerce Offices, supporting enterprises at fairs, during commercial missions and business meetings in Campania in order to accelerate the achieving of positive economic results deriving from International business. In other words, this means Intertrade as a governing body capable of playing a prominent role (Piciocchi and Bassano, 2009) in international-local networks to support the recognition and visibility of a local service system (the Salerno area), coordinating economic capabilities, pressures, resources, and the socio-technical system and relationships. In this perspective, a distinctive identity for competitiveness on international markets (Pilotti, 2011) is favoured