Resilience to natural disasters: an empirical investigation of the impact of the 2012 Emilia earthquake on manufacturing companies

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the earthquake that took place in Emilia in 2012 on manufacturing companies. The specific aim of the study is the analysis and evaluation of the resilience capacity and the ability of the affected companies to react to unpredictable natural disasters. In order to further understand the behaviours and responses to such an abrupt event, theoretical frameworks of resilience and dynamic capabilities are presented and applied. In addition, a quantitative approach was adopted through the administration of a structured questionnaire to more than one hundred manufacturing companies based in the area impacted by the earthquake. The achieved findings' purpose also consists in the understanding of which could be the main elements and aspects that can positively or negatively influence the recovery of affected firms.