Osservatorio Monografie d’Impresa

The project was started in the early 2000s by Prof. Mario Magagnino, professor of Business Communication at the University of Verona, who sensed the importance of studying and preserving Institutional Business Monographs made in Italy.

After the first few years of engagement in researching works and thematic exploration, in the summer of 2011 the cultural initiative was permanently structured with Stefano Russo and Tiziana Sartori, experienced communication professionals, joining the team.

As early as 2011, the basic activities of the project take shape, which are the creation and preservation of the Archive of Institutional Business Monographs, both in physical and digital form, and the OMI Award for the Best Institutional Business Monograph.

Other important activities of the Observatory are its training efforts, carried out by hosting internships of university students, and the organization of cultural and in-depth events, in collaboration with prominent national and international figures.

But what is an Institutional Business Monograph? It is an enterprise's representation of itself. Its purpose, on the part of the enterprise, is connected to the need to strengthen its reputation, promote its identity and make its strategies known.

It is aimed at both internal audiences (the employees and direct collaborators) and various external audiences: customers, suppliers, potential investors, local realities, etc. It is therefore an institutional communication tool of the company.

The most classic structure includes: introductory text, milestones in the evolution of the company or entity, main and complementary activities, organizational structure, prospects for the future (research, investment, development strategies), any international connections.

More and more companies are emphasizing elements of customer service and support. Much value is often placed on the people who are part of the company and the commitment devoted to achieving a reduced environmental impact.

Good photographic equipment is often key to success, as is format, design, paper type, and binding. For a business monograph communicates not only with content but also with the emotional and sensory impact it can make.

This type of publication is bound to age rapidly, because the passage of time inevitably corresponds to an evolution of events and thus a change in corporate representation.

What is future today will become present tomorrow and past tomorrow after that.

For various historical, cultural and sociological reasons, the business monograph is a popular communication tool in the Italian business landscape, which is often characterized by the family genesis of the business and therefore sensitive to the value of self-representation.

The only one of its kind in Europe, the collection is a valuable bibliographic capital that not only offers a rich overview of content and styles but also has the great merit of preserving evidence of entrepreneurial life that would otherwise be in danger of being lost.

Students who as part of training internships collaborate with the Monographs of Business Observatory study, review and catalog the works sent by companies also thanks to continuous and extensive reporting activities carried out by the Observatory itself.

The archive includes two macro-categories: Institutional Business Monograph in the classical sense and Biographical Business, Entrepreneur or Product/Service Monograph.

Over the years, the organization of cultural and in-depth events has gradually become more and more prominent. Topics covered include corporate reputation management, branding, social responsibility, storytelling, and heritage marketing.

Organization of conferences focused on topics related to Corporate Culture and Branding, with nationally and iterationally renowned speakers.
Organization of exhibitions, guided tours of industrial archaeology sites, companies and business museums.

Participation in the Enterprise Culture WeekParticipation in the At School for Business initiative

Participation in the creation of Bibliography of Enterprise

Participation in the National Day of Made in Italy

Collaboration in the planning of Business Museums and Archives

Reference delivery: intensive is the reference activity for the use of the bibliographic archive, offered to students, faculty, writers and coordinators of works pertaining to culture, storytelling and corporate heritage.

The OMI Award for Best Institutional Enterprise Monograph is in all likelihood the Observatory's best-known activity.

The Award aims to enhance the Institutional Corporate Monograph as a tool of corporate reputation and communication, going to stimulate the interest of companies, advertising and public relations agencies, creatives and publishing houses.