Abstract

The gradual liberalisation of the postal sector in line with EC norms, has meant that national governing entities are faced with the necessity of favouring the above market liberalisation whilst, at the same time, guaranteeing the protection of the universal service. In Italy this has lead to a strengthening of the monopoly with the aim of enabling the national operator to reach financial equilibrium, which as a consequence has stifled the competition, the real stimulus for the recovery of the Company, and for the development of the market. In Holland, on the other hand, some time ago they opted for competitive confrontation and a listing on the stock market in order to force the postal operator to become efficient and profitable. The authors show how the possibility of acting as a private operator, given the appropriate managerial tools and above all within the framework of a liberalised market, has enabled the TNT Post Groep, to overturn outdated managerial logic through major internal restructuring, and has resulted in one of the most significant examples of turn-around of a public operator.