The Business Transfer through the Cooperative Model. A Comparative Analysis Italy-France

After a review of the literature on the topic of business transfer, the paper focuses on worker buyout (WBO) operations, and specifically on those implemented through the worker cooperative model. By comparing Italian and French WBO cooperatives, the paper aims at extrapolating key factors and main actors of the WBO operation in the two countries. After an analysis of the legislative framework that supports the process in Italy and France, six WBO cooperatives are examined. The research methodology selected is a qualitative one. Through an international comparison, it is possible to highlight the main aspects of the WBO process that can be considered independent from the legislative framework in which such operation is implemented. Although the study is a first analysis that cannot be considered exhaustive, it allows for a better understanding of a business transfer typology that is still little studied by the literature.