Federica Pascucci

Export market orientation and international performance in the context of SMEs

The purpose of this study is to provide new insights into the relationship between ‘export market orientation’ (EMO) and ‘export performance’ by using a disaggregated approach. The authors want to provide empirical evidence of some antecedents of EMO and its contribution to export performance in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The empirical research consists of a survey, conducted by using cross-sectional data of a sample of 300 Italian small and medium-sized coffee roasting firms. The results show how roasting firms seem to be more inclined to respond to market changes than to generate and share market information, since the value of export intelligence responsiveness is higher than export intelligence dissemination and export intelligence generation. Regarding the antecedents, the number of foreign markets and the presence of an export department are significantly and positively related to the two components of EMO, while the number of years has no impact. Finally, the regression analysis also demonstrates how the responsiveness influences export performance directly, while market intelligence generation and dissemination are fundamental drivers of responsiveness. The study extends previous empirical research works on EMO in the Italian context and demonstrates its applicability also in the case of SMEs.

Exploring antecedents of social media usage in B2B: a systematic review

This paper aims to review the state-of-the-art literature on social media adoption in business-to-business (B2B) contexts to propose an inclusive and theoretical viewpoint to understand the antecedents of this phenomenon.,This paper presents the results of a systematic literature review. For this purpose, 29 studies published in academic journals, books and conference papers in the field of marketing and management from 2001 to 2017 were analysed.,The results show that the number of studies has increased in the past five years. Three different groups of antecedents are identified by considering the nature of these factors (personal, organisational and external) and analysed at two different levels of adoption: individual and firm/function. Managerial implications and future research insights are provided.,This research area deserves much more attention, both theoretical and empirical, to analyse the existing classifications and develop new categories of antecedents of social media adoption in B2B. Further studies are needed on the individual level of adoption, on new skills and capabilities required to use social media as well as on the social factors influencing usage.,The literature review allows to understand the role of personal, organisational and social antecedents and suggest ways to improve the level and quality of adoption.,Despite a considerable interest in research on social media, this paper provides the first complete framework in the new field of study concerning social media adoption in B2B.

Internet adoption and usage: evidence from Italian micro enterprises

This study aims to fill a gap in the literature of internet adoption and usage within a micro enterprises (MEs) context. The aims of the research are twofold: a) to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of internet in MEs in developed countries; b) to characterise the MEs in term of internet usage and tools adopted and benchmark different typologies of them. After a thorough analysis of the literature, a research model is created. It consists of two parts. In the first part, four hypotheses are developed in order to investigate the different factors relevant to internet adoption (company size, geographical location, type of industry, and level of internationalisation). In the second part of the research, through a cluster analysis, we analyse the main differences related to internet usage. The statistical analysis was carried out on a sample of 600 Italian MEs. The research shows that the use of the internet is still not widespread. As shown from the regression analysis, the decision to use this technology is influenced by the size of the company, the sector it operates in, and the level of internationalisation, while location is not a significant factor. Cluster analysis shows three different groups of firms related to internet usage.

A Model to Analyze Small and Medium Enterprises’ Training Needs Related to the Internationalization

Formal training can play a particularly important role in supporting the internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). However, the demand for education services by the latter still appears limited. This is due to known structural and cultural limits that are found widely in this type of business and to the fact that the provision of training—especially that which is funded—does not seem to address adequately SMEs’ needs; in many cases, such training is not stimulating, because it is perceived as too general. In fact, SMEs do not constitute a single homogeneous group and therefore assistance needs vary among the different types of firms. So, especially in relation to internationalization, it is clear that there are important differences to consider due to the variety of approaches and ways of developing this process. In order to optimize the resources to invest in the promotion of training, there is a need to find a proper balance between providing “viable solutions for all businesses” and offering “targeted responses and tailored services”. In such a context, the main objective of this paper is to identify and systematize the variables that most influence the SMEs’ training needs related to internationalization by taking into account the differences among them. To this end, an empirical analysis was developed involving a significant number of Italian SMEs by using a combination of qualitative research methods. The results show the critical issues faced by the investigated firms during their internationalization process and highlight some important variables that affect their training needs: export involvement, characteristics of the product/market, characteristics of the company, exporting strategy, and human resources. Based on these variables, the writers identified clusters of firms characterized by similar needs and problems to be faced.

Aspetti economici ed organizzativi della progettazione di una piattaforma del prodotto “lavabiancheria”

The aim of this work is to analyse the numerous aspects and the economic and organizational implications of “ product platform ” , which is one of the most used typology of “ multiproject strategy ” in a lot of industrial sectors. The issue is discussed according to empirical evidence of a case study, referred to a leader firm of household appliance sector. Without any generalization, it’s possible to point out that the “product platform” has not only a technological meaning, but also a strategic and cultural one. This one consist in a innovative way to manage the product range. In this way the “product platform” contributes to the improvement of competitive position of the “washing machine business unit”.