Andrea Runfola

Fast fashion companies coping with internationalization: driving the change or changing the model?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the fast fashion formula and the process of firm internationalization. Possible answers are sought to the following research question: does the fast fashion formula drive the internationalization process (driving the change), or does the internationalization process change the model (changing the model).Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents and discusses the data collected during a ten‐year longitudinal case analysis of an Italian fast fashion company. Three main steps in the firms international expansion are identified, and the firms strategies for managing its fast model in each are then discussed.Findings – The findings highlight how the process of internationalization has exerted pressure on the firms business model. In particular, the case reveals that the companys international development has had a strong impact on three main components of its fast fashion model.Originality/value – The paper contributes to...

Sourcing strategies in clothing retail firms: product complexity versus overseas supply chain

1 The fashion apparel business is traditionally characterized by intense competition and short product life cycles. Recent marketing literature has also focused on the increasing importance of retailing. Retailers are beginning to assume a central role in the configuration of supplier networks, being operators who act globally either in terms of market seeking or resource seeking. At this stage a set of problems emerge. In particular, we focus on buyer-seller relationship due to the rise in new formulas in clothing retailing with production management models differing from the traditional systems. These new trends seem to have a significant impact on the upstream relation in the supply chain, due to vertical integration in some industrial functions (designing, sourcing, quality control) by retailers. For this reason, the paper investigates how retailers manage their relations upstream in the supply chain, focusing on the balance expressed in terms of alternatives between lean/agile sourcing strategies, local/overseas suppliers and product/range complexity.

Actors’ roles in interaction and innovation in local systems: a conceptual taxonomy

Purpose – This paper aims to study the role of the focal firm in local communities. In particular, it aims at analyzing such firms’ contribution to innovation, proposing a classification of the interactions and role systems that contribute to determining the innovational impact of focal firms. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents a concept-based study. The paper starts with a review of the literature to frame the concepts of local network and focal firm. Two key concepts, related to that of interaction, are then discussed: teaching and learning. Findings – The paper proposes a taxonomy of the interactions and the roles systems that the focal firm can establish. The status of focal actor for innovation in a network stems, not from an “a priori” central strategic role on which the actor builds its interactions, but “a posteriori”, from the actor’s previously recognized roles in interactions on which network innovation is based. The local system may or may not be present in the interaction set o...

Time in business-to-business interactions. A case analysis in textile and clothing

The article analyzes the role of time in business network interactions. Its main aim is to examine time issues and fill a research gap regarding different market models and different concepts of time. The methodology used is a case study to investigate a focal interaction in the fashion industry, between a firm considered to be the focal company, a luxury clothing manufacturer, and one of its main suppliers. From the research, two concepts of time emerge with regard to business networks: time as a product and time as a process. Combining literature and case analyses, it derives a correspondence between time as a process and interaction as adaptation, and time as a product and interaction as exchange. The findings of this study point to the need for further studies on time in business networks.

Internationalization through E-Commerce. The Case of MultiBrand Luxury Retailers in the Fashion Industry

Abstract Purpose This paper deals with the international development of firms through the online sales channel. Despite the ever-growing importance of the issues involved in such internationalization strategies, they have received limited attention in the literature. Methodology/approach The paper presents an analysis of an expressly developed database of 20 multibrand luxury retailers in the online fashion market Findings The analysis highlights the international dimension of these players and sheds some light on internationalization through e-commerce of the luxury fashion retailers. In particular, the paper states that e-commerce may be related to different degrees of internationalization in multibrand luxury fashion retailers and that internationalization of multibrand luxury fashion retailers through e-commerce is unrelated to physical stores abroad. Research limitations Future research should be aimed at analyzing the characteristics of a greater number of actor, such as mono-brand luxury manufacturers, also comparing the fashion system with other sectors where the online channel exhibits a similar important trend. Originality/value The paper’s originality is related to a new phenomenon that has yet to receive appropriate consideration in the literature, the online international company growth with particular focus on the online channel as a new means to develop into foreign markets

Small-Medium Sized Manufacturers’ Internationalization through Retail Store Openings Abroad: A Study of the Italian Fashion Industry

Abstract Purpose This paper deals with the international expansion of manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the opening of retail outlets in foreign countries. The paper develops and discusses five research questions. Methodology/approach The paper discusses emerging data from the analysis of a database set up in recent years. In particular, it deals with 1,419 retail operations regarding 246 Italian fashion brands in 77 foreign markets during the period from 2005 and 2010. Findings The paper points out that retail operations are largely used by Italian fashion SMEs to internationalize. This form of entry in foreign markets is used to develop in both mature and emerging markets and it seems related to the brand potential of Italian fashion SMEs abroad. Research limitations The paper is limited to the case of Italian fashion brands and to the period 2005–2010. Originality/value The paper considers an unexplored area of the internationalization theory of SMEs, that of the development abroad through retail store openings. The paper offers insights on the extent to what this strategy is used by Italian fashion brands.

Relationship beginning and serendipity: insights from an Italian case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose evidence on the role of serendipity in business relationship. It concerns the understanding of the unplanned development of the relationship and the opportunities that may arise from taking serendipity as a “shaping” factor of relationship beginning. Design/methodology/approach – The paper recurs to a longitudinal case study in the mechanical industry. In particular the development of the relationship between an Italian manufacturing company as supplier and a Chinese large customer is presented. Findings – The case study highlights the role played by serendipity in the beginning and development of the business relationship between an Italian manufacturing company and a Chinese customer. Originality/value – The main theoretical contribution of the paper is to point out how serendipity may affect business relationship development.

The role of actors in interactions between “innovation ecosystems”: drivers and implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the role of the actors (especially firms) in interactions between contexts defined as “innovation ecosystems.” Design/methodology/approach The paper presents a conceptual framework. A review of the literature to frame the concepts of innovation ecosystems and the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) approach is presented. A possible integration of the two concepts is then discussed. Findings The paper adds new discursive inputs to the concept of innovation ecosystem that validate its use in the context of the knowledge economy and extends the theories of knowledge, by analyzing the role that various actors who populate an innovative ecosystem play in the creation, learning, use, and dissemination of knowledge. Originality/value The paper furnishes an approach to the research on knowledge management and innovation, in the attempt to relate the IMP Group approach with the perspective of the “innovation ecosystems” concept.

The Internationalization of Italian Luxury Brands. The Missoni Case

This chapter is about the international development of Italian luxury companies. It focuses on small–medium-sized family businesses, which characterize the Italian fashion industry. These businesses more than before have to manage internationalization processes by making stronger the relation between brand reputation and brand performance. Through the findings emerging from the literature and the analysis of the emblematic case of Missoni, the chapter aims to explain how a family luxury company develops a strong international brand in terms both of brand definition and of marketing strategies. The case investigated is built through a case analysis process that included the analysis of secondary data on Missoni and an in-depth interview with the General Manager.

Italian firms in emerging markets: relationships and networks for internationalization in Africa

This paper concerns the process of internationalization of Italian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa. The African continent is an interesting and valuable emerging target market for the international expansion of Italian companies. Using network theory on internationalization, this paper considers which actors play relevant roles in the penetration of the African market. We determine how the knowledge acquired could be used for growing within the African continent. This paper proposes findings emerging from a cross-case analysis of 18 SMEs and their internationalization strategies in Africa. The main results show that networks play a relevant role in the internationalization of Italian SMEs in Africa, but their constituent relationships are often built on contingencies rather than on deliberate strategies. Only some actors (such as business partners, NGOs, and destination-market institutions) are crucial for internationalization in Africa, while other actors, such as local and national Italian institutions, do not seem to be facilitators for this path of growth. Finally, our findings highlight how in Mediterranean Africa (and only rarely in sub-Saharan Africa), the knowledge acquired in one market is useful for growth in the closest countries to it. We conclude by proposing a taxonomy of potential networks in the African continent.