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8738432 
Journal Article 
SWOT analysis applied to a high risk area as a strategy to increase sustainable local value chain 
Leanza, A; Bonanno, S; Suriano, E; Amara, G; Gigli, C 
2017 
4 
2 
69-76 
English 
A SWOT analysis is a tool used in the formulation of strategic management. It identifies a firm's Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths depend on a firm's skills and resources, Weaknesses on its internal failure. Opportunities and Threats are due to the exploitation or the influence of environmental elements where the business operates. A SWOT analysis can be also made comparing a firm's features and potential to a specific industrial area, analyzing the effects that it produces on the environment as well as for the social and economic context. The aim of this paper is to describe how a company can turn the weaknesses of a high risk area into opportunities and value. The Sicilian Regional Decree 189/05 includes areas where a serious environmental damage can be caused by industrial activity. In particular, the firm observed is situated in the industrial area of Augusta - Priolo (SR), a large petrochemical industrial pole where oil is refined, petroleum products made and energy produced. Moreover, there is an important trading port in Augusta. Industrial activities in this area cause high levels of pollution, in different forms: atmospheric pollution, soil contamination, contamination of aquifers and surface water, agricultural production damage. The firm analyzed transports and incinerates special waste (industrial, naval and hospital waste). In this firm, incineration is a process where emissions are strongly controlled by innovative instruments in order to excel in the social and environmental respect. Controlled incineration allows for a significant reduction of pollution, preventing a negative impact of special waste on the environment. Therefore, in contrast to the other companies in that area, the firm plays an important role in the process of industrial reclamation. This analysis becomes a useful problem solving instrument to analyze logistic, marketing, and social responsibility, in the perspective of the optimization of eco-management material flows. 
Hazardous waste; High risk area; Industrial symbiosis; Problem solving; SWOT analysis