Simone Guercini

Relation between branding and growth of the firm in new quick fashion formulas: analysis of an Italian case

Quick fashion formulas can be described as a product/service characterised mainly by its potential to supply retailers with a range renewal service that is produced at short time gaps. The purpose of this paper is to examine the hypothesis that by adopting new quick fashion formulas clothing manufacturers can at least in part integrate the different factors that traditionally contributed to the success of operators in different strategic groups. In the case of the Italian firm analysed here, the range renewal service and consequently the development of a new production management model are integrated with construction of a strong brand identity, which has resulted in increased performance. The development of new quick fashion formulas appears symptomatic of transition from a production‐driven to a market‐driven characterisation of the apparel manufacturing sector. The development and success of quick fashion formulas such as those analysed in this paper may have important implications not only for the evolution of clothing distribution, but indeed for the whole supply chain upstream of the retailer, including textiles manufacturers who produce yarn and fabric.

International competitive change and strategic behaviour of Italian textile‐apparel firms

In the 1990s the trend of textile and apparel manufacturing in Italy differed considerably from other European countries with high labour costs. The examination of the peculiar factors generating the Italian specificity represents the first aims of this paper, and will be discussed employing statistical sources concerning market performance, industrial organization and retail structure. A second aim, of no less central importance, is the evaluation of the strategic behaviour adopted by Italian textile and apparel firms in front of competitive change on international market. Results emerging from a secondary research are presented. The analysis proposed focuses mainly on strategic market positioning and integration between manufacturing firms of the textile‐apparel pipeline and clothing retail.

Developing the researcher‐manager interface in the case analysis process

This paper explores the extent to which the use of case analysis as a tool for production of original knowledge on managerial processes is of relevance to relations between the study and practice of management. The papers hypothesis is that the research strategy adopted by scholars, and thus the methodological approach, can lead to processes capable of building up and reinforcing the bridge between scholars and educators on the one hand, and management practice by professionals on the other. This paper puts forward arguments in favor of the claim that the case analysis process can be characterized by the quality of the communication processes between researcher and manager. In addition, this process contributes to enabling scholars and corporate management involved in research based on case analysis to build up and define a convergent context of formation/elaboration of knowledge on corporate processes. The manner and forms of devising the methodological response to the problems of the discipline‐practice interface deserve in‐depth attention as part of the study of relations between the discipline and practice of management.

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...

New qualitative research methodologies in management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to deliver an introduction to the Special Issue on new qualitative research methodologies in management. Design/methodology/approach – The reasons of interest for the object of this Special Issue are explained through the discussion of a selected literature. Technological and sociological changes are considered as a source of new problem and new opportunities for management and management research. The traditional methods are put under strain by these changes and epistemological implications are considered. Findings – New qualitative methodologies analyzed in the Special Issue are characterized by drivers including hybridization with others methods, both qualitative and quantitative. New methods can contribute to reduce distance between researchers and practitioners context. Originality/value – A frame to analyze the new qualitative management research through the papers published in the Special Issue.

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.

Exploring brand associations: an innovative methodological approach

Purpose – The purpose of this exploratory study is to propose a new methodological approach to investigate brand associations. More specifically, the study aims to show how brand associations can be identified and analysed in an online community of international consumers of fashion to determine the degree of matching with company-defined brand associations. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is two-pronged, integrating qualitative market research techniques with quantitative text mining. It was applied to determine types and perceptions of brand associations among fashion bloggers with reference to three leading Italian fashion houses. These were then compared to brand associations found in company-generated texts to measure the degree of matching. Findings – The results showed consistent brand associations across the three brands, as well as substantial matching with company-defined brand associations. In addition, the analysis revealed the presence of distinctive brand association themes tha...

New approaches to heuristic processes and entrepreneurial cognition of the market

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the contribution that the study of heuristic processes can make to a better understanding of the gap between marketing theory and practice, particularly in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). The term entrepreneurial marketing is used to refer to the marketing content of the entrepreneurial role.Design/methodology/approach – The literature review is supplemented with the results of an empirical research study conducted by the author over the last ten years on SMEs in the fashion industry.Findings – The paper investigates how entrepreneurs generate and share heuristics to produce and use knowledge about markets. Based on an in‐depth review of the literature, the paper develops the idea that this evolution of heuristics studies is of prime interest to an understanding of the specific features of the marketing content of the entrepreneurial role.Originality/value – The paper provides a conceptual perspective based on the study of heuristics with the ai...

A Strategic Supply Chain Approach: Consortium Marketing in the Italian Leatherwear Industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe inter‐firm marketing cooperation as a strategy by small and medium enterprise (SME) players in local systems of fashion firms.Design/methodology/approach – This case study research focuses on Italian leatherwear manufacturers that join together to create an interfirm consortium which acts as a sole manufacturer‐marketing player.Findings – The case study observes marketing policy orientations toward the final consumers while remaining consistent with the aim of preserving cooperation with the big international retail buyers. The comprehensive description provides propositions relevant for advancing a theory of interfirm cooperation and marketing behavior. The paper reports on implementing consortium marketing through the integration of marketing activities among the SMEs in the Italian fashion leatherwear industry.Research limitations/implications – Consortium marketing (CM) organizations represent one structure among several for the coordination of activi...

A Black Swan in the district? An IMP perspective on immigrant entrepreneurship and changes in industrial districts

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the changes of the Italian textile district of Prato, considered an exemplary case of the industrial district (ID) model, using a business network perspective. The “Black Swan” metaphor is used to address the changes in the Prato textile district in order to understand whether such changes have been an unexpected and unpredictable phenomenon, or they can be explain with a different theoretical tool-box, namely, that developed by the industrial network approach. Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilizes already published studies on the changes of the textile/fashion companies located to the Prato area. Both studies that have been carried out within an ID approach and those carried out with an Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) point of departure are considered in the research. Both types of studies were utilized to identify empirical observed changes of the producer, respectively user setting that the Prato located companies was related to, in...