Maria Chiarvesio

Global Value Chains and Open Networks: The Case of Italian Industrial Districts

Italian district small and medium enterprises (SMEs) developed aggressive strategies to extend their sales networks and supply chains abroad. Literature on districts offered alternative explanations about the impacts of internationalization on local manufacturing systems. The authors consider the evolution of Italian districts in the framework of global value chain approach, focusing on the role of leading firms. Based on a survey of 650 Italian SMEs and financial indicators, the paper describes the rise of a new district firm model, the open network, which becomes a key node of global value chains. The paper also analyses the relationships among internationalization, innovation strategies and performance of SMEs.

Exporters moving toward emerging markets: a resource-based approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand whether and how specific capabilities at the firm level can sustain firms during the process of international expansion in emerging markets (EMs). Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative study was carried out, and the authors analyzed data from a sample of 271 manufacturing firms. A logistic regression was used to check for differences in the endowment of resources and capabilities of firms solely focussing on advanced markets (AMs) or extending their international scope to EMs as well. Findings – Firms that expanded their business in EMs showed a significantly higher endowment of international experience and marketing capabilities compared with firms that focussed only on AMs. The authors found that the size of the firm is irrelevant: even small firms can reach EMs by leveraging an appropriate set of capabilities. Research limitations/implications – The study is cross-sectional and cannot provide a longitudinal view of the process of capability de...

Managing distribution networks in emerging markets. Evidence from the furniture sector

Purpose – This paper aims to examine how three firms set up distribution networks in China and India. The authors highlight the criticalities in this process and the modifications necessary to adapt the firms’ distribution networks to the local conditions of both markets. Firms entering emerging markets (EMs) must deal with specific business and environmental conditions that can jeopardise their ability to succeed. The establishment of a proper distribution network is among the most pressing priorities for entering firms. Design/methodology/approach – The case study approach was used to analyse three European firms in the furniture sector. Findings – The results show that several adaptations of already-tested solutions were necessary to cope with the specificities of both markets. Such adaptations differently involved the three layers that form the firms’ distribution network: actors, activities and resources. Theoretical and managerial implications are derived from the results. Research limitations/impli...

Innovazione, comunicazione e presidio dei mercati. le performance delle imprese del made in Italy

Le imprese manifatturiere sono chiamate a rinnovare la propria offerta attraverso un piu esplicito investimento nel marketing come funzione in grado di costruire relazioni interattive con i clienti e supportare l’innovazione simbolica e la proposta di nuovi significati da veicolare al mercato. Dal punto di vista empirico sono ancora limitati gli studi che approfondiscono le strategie di marketing, in particolare sul fronte della comunicazione, delle imprese italiane mettendo a confronto le politiche di prodotto, il ruolo del design, l’investimento in marca e le politiche distributive, con un’attenzione ai mercati esteri. Il paper sviluppa un approfondimento empirico relativo alle strategie di comunicazione delle piccole e medie imprese specializzate nei settori del made in Italy, attraverso un’analisi quantitativa relativa a oltre 400 imprese operanti nei mercati finali.

Industrial District Firms Do Not Smile: Structuring the Value Chain between Local and Global

Abstract Defined as local manufacturing systems, industrial districts have been recognized as particularly important for the location of firms’ manufacturing activities intertwined with innovation processes. The debate on the internationalization of production has stressed the low value related to manufacturing within value chain activities (smile framework), emphasizing the need to focus on high value-added activities (R&D or marketing). Following multinational enterprises’ internationalization strategies, also district firms have progressively offshored their production phases in the past years. However, recent studies focused on backshoring have revamped the attention on the domestic control of production for firms’ competitiveness. This chapter explores district firms’ location choices for manufacturing activities between local and global. Based on an empirical analysis of about 260 Italian district firms specialized in mechanics, furniture, and fashion and supported by a case study investigation, our results show that despite district internationalization processes, a non-negligible amount of firms still carry out – in-house or through outsourcing – production activities at district level. Larger firms couple district production and long-term upstream outsourced internationalization activities. The district system confirms its role of pooling specialized competences and product know-how, being decisive for firms’ innovation and responsiveness to national and international markets. Backshoring, instead, is a very limited phenomenon and linked to upgrading strategies.

Luxury Firms in China: The Role of Design and Marketing Capabilities

As a growing emerging market (EM), China offers remarkable opportunities for luxury firms from advanced countries. Studies emphasize the global approach to luxury markets, but the uncertainty and cultural distance characterizing the Chinese market increase the risks for firms using standardized global strategies. This article investigates the internationalization strategies of luxury firms in China by exploring the role of design and marketing capabilities. A qualitative methodology is adopted to develop a case study of an Italian company. Design and marketing capabilities emerge as important factors for balancing the advantages of a global strategy while adapting to the unique characteristics of the Chinese market. This process requires dynamic capabilities to maintain coherence with a company’s global brand identity, which is an asset of luxury companies.

Does It Pay to Be International? Evidence from Industrial District Firms

In the debate concerning offshoring, the smile curve generally emphasises the limited value of manufacturing compared to service-based activities. Many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in industrial districts (ID)—local manufacturing systems where innovation and production are tightly coupled—also invest in offshoring strategies, therefore transforming local supply chains. Current research on back-shoring highlights the relevance of domestic control of manufacturing for firm competitiveness. This chapter explores ID firms’ location choices of manufacturing activities in a sample of approximately 260 Italian ID firms with international or only domestic production activities. The results show that the international production of components is not associated with higher profitability for high-quality goods (as measured by return on assets) but could be a profitable strategy for low-quality goods.

La manifattura torna indietro? Come i distretti industriali stanno affrontando la nuova fase della globalizzazione

I distretti industriali come sistemi produttivi locali hanno messo in luce i vantaggi di innovazione e di competitivita legati al presidio di attivita produttive all’interno di contesti territoriali (e sociali) ben definiti. L’intensa fase di globalizzazione che ha caratterizzato le grandi imprese negli ultimi decenni - con uno spostamento delle fasi produttive in Paesi a basso costo del lavoro - ha influenzato anche le imprese distrettuali e le loro strategie produttive, con un impatto di riorganizzazione e razionalizzazione delle catene di fornitura locali. Il recente dibattito sul backshoring ha riportato all’attenzione il valore della manifattura e la possibilita di riportare nei Paesi avanzati la produzione. In questo scenario il nostro studio su oltre 250 imprese distrettuali del Nordest e su diversi casi studio evidenzia come il backshoring sia un fenomeno molto limitato. Al contrario riscontriamo che le imprese sviluppano strategie integrate di gestione della produzione tra locale (presidio dell’innovazione e sfruttamento del saper fare) e globale (volumi di produzione).

Organizzare e gestire la distribuzione nel mercato indiano dell'arredamento

How do firms organize their distribution network to succeed inemerging markets? And to what extent do they adapt already testedsolutions in the context of advanced markets when setting up distribution in emerging markets? We moved from these research questions to analyse the distribution strategies of three middle-sized Italian firms belonging to the furniture industry and that recently entered the Indian market. Rules of thumb and managerial suggestions are derived.

Savio Macchine Tessili e Stark: strategie di internazionalizzazione commerciale nei mercati emergenti

The strong potential of the emerging countries is often accompanied by difficulties due to the high psychic and institutional distance be- tween them and more developed countries. In recent years a growing number of works has analyzed the behavior of firms in these countries; but the focus is mainly on multinationals, while the empirical research on the experience of small and medium-sized enterprises is not yet well developed, especially within the Italian context. The paper aims at introducing the results of an explorative analysis concerning the distribution policies that two companies of mechanical industry have adopted to enter India and China. The paper will discuss the organizational and strategic impact of the decision to enter in those countries.