1,721,027 research outputs found
The role of design in upgrading within Global Value Chains. Evidence from Italy
No full textThe concept of upgrading plays an important role within the global value chain (GVC) theoretical framework (Gereffi et al. 2005). The globalization of supply chains and the presence in the market of low cost producers coming from emergent economies pose serious threats for business that based their competitive advantages on efficiency and manufacturing. Although the literature gathered important results in highlighting the economic impact of upgrading, little research has been done on how design is used as a strategic tool for product innovation within the firm (Ravasi and Lojacono 2005) and how it improves the capability of the firm to upgrade within global value chain. This paper aims at shedding light on the evolution of the role of design in the firm’s strategy and value creation. We decide to focus our research on Italian Small and Medium firms (SMEs), with a special interest on those coming from Italian Industrial Districts. The aim of this paper is twofold: a) to study how design is evolving within leading firms and which are the implications of this changes in terms of knowledge creation and sharing, b) to analyse and investigate the relation between design and company's performance. To this end, the authors have assessed the data collected by TeDIS survey, which for over a decade has studied the evolution of Italian small and medium-sized enterprises. The results highlight two particularly significant issues: a) medium-sized companies have a clearer design strategy than in the past and there is a gradual convergence between innovation models based on technology and those based on aesthetics; b) the capacity to invest in a more structured design function enables companies to achieve positive results in terms of both growth and of income generation within global value chain
Strategie di internazionalizzazione commerciale nei mercati emergenti: i casi Savio Meccaniche Tessili e Stark
No full textThe strong potential of the emerging countries is often accompanied by difficulties due to the high psychic and institutional distance between 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 enterpri- ses is not yet well developed, espe- cially within the Italian context. The paper aims at introducing the results of an explorative analysis concerning the distribution policies that two com- panies of mechanical industry have adopted to enter India and China. The paper will discuss the organi- zational and strategic impact of the decision to enter in those countries
Emerging technologies and internationalization: Insights from Italian companies approaching Industry 4.0
No full textIndustry 4.0 technologies are supposed to increase the competitiveness of companies, leading to a new era of “Manufacturing Renaissance”. Nowadays, contemporary dynamics of international competition impose that companies both innovate and internationalize at the same time to remain competitive. In this context, some conceptual studies have speculated on possible consequences of the adoption of technologies related to Industry 4.0 on global value chains. However, empirical studies investigating the role of emerging technologies in international business are still lacking. Through a multiple case study approach, this study presents an exploratory qualitative research investigating the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on the international strategy of companies. The analysis of 9 Italian manufacturing exporting companies that have adopted these technologies reveals some preliminary findings and opens avenues for future research in international business on these issues
Internationalization of supply networks inside and outside clusters
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare supply network strategies of district firms
(from now on ID) and non-district (non-ID) firms with the aim of outlining emerging strategies as well
as identifying similarities and differences between business models.
Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on a quantitative approach: the TeDIS
survey focuses on 45 leading Italian districts and SMEs located outside districts (Made in Italy
sectors). Results refer to 630 Italian firms.
Findings – There are more similarities than differences between the approach of ID and non-ID
companies to supply networks. ID firms rely more on local systems in terms of supply networks, while
non-ID firms have also invested at national level (subcontracting networks). The global geographical
extension of supply networks stresses the ID companies’ search for efficiency in addition to
value-added competences. Non-ID firms have a more hierarchical approach to internationalization
than ID firms, but differences decrease as the size of the companies increases.
Research limitations/implications – The study is still preliminary. Future research should
explore the relationships between the strategic approach to supply networks of district firms and
non-ID firms in terms of characteristics of the relationship management and aims of relationships, also
with a focus on the size of these firms.
Originality/value – Within the existing literature, the original contribution of the paper lies in its
comparison of supply network strategies in ID and non-ID firms based on a significant quantitative
analysis
Strategie e modelli di internazionalizzazione delle imprese distrettuali italiane
No full textGli studi sulle multinazionali hanno sottolineato le implicazioni strategiche ed organizzative dell’internazionalizzazione, enfatizzando la prospettiva dell’impresa attraverso un focus sugli investimenti diretti esteri (IDE). Tuttavia, in tempi recenti, le PMI organizzate in distretti industriali hanno sviluppato strategie aggressive per estendere le proprie reti commerciali e produttive locali all’estero. Questa apertura delle reti locali verso una dimensione globale può rimettere in gioco fonti consolidate di vantaggio competitivo delle imprese distrettuali, quali le competenze, le dinamiche di innovazione e la gestione del sapere. Allo stesso tempo, attraverso questi processi, le PMI stanno trasformando anche i legami con i propri contesti locali, spingendo verso nuovi scenari evolutivi gli stessi territori. Emerge quindi la necessità di individuare nuovi strumenti di analisi di tali processi di internazionalizzazione, che vadano oltre gli IDE. A partire da un approccio teorico incentrato sull’analisi della catena del valore e attraverso una ricerca quantitativa, il paper mira ad analizzare i processi di internazionalizzazione dei distretti industriali italiani, evidenziando i percorsi strategici di oltre 700 imprese specializzate nei settori del made in Italy di 45 distretti italiani
From tacit practice to structured function. The evolution of design and its implication in firms' strategy. The case of small and medium firms in Italy.
No full textThis paper aims at shedding light on how design is managed within the firm and its implications in terms of firm’s strategy. We decided to focus our research on Italian Small and Medium firms (SMEs), with a special interest on those coming from Italian Industrial Districts. Italian firms heavily invested in design for sustaining innovation and competitiveness in the global markets. The paper wants to contribute to the previous literature adding a more in depth analysis of design through a quantitative approach. To this end, we have analyzed the data collected by TeDIS survey that for over a decade has studied the evolution of Italian small and medium-sized enterprises.
The results highlight three particularly significant issues: a) SMEs have a clearer design strategy than in the past and there is an important tendency to more structured management of design both within the firm and its relationship with external contributors (free-lance designers and studios); b) there is gradual convergence between innovation models based on technological innovation and those based on design; c) the capacity to invest in a more structured design and technological innovation functions enables companies to achieve positive results in terms of performance although there is not a strong correlation between innovation model and turnover growth and margins
I distretti del mobile: Brianza Comasca e Milanese; Livenza e Quartier Del Piave
No full textCon il ridimensionamento della New Economy, il problema dell'evoluzione dei distretti industriali ha cambiato fisionomia: a quali condizioni le tecnologie di rete possono contribuire ad alimentare la competitività dei distretti in un contesto di recente globalizzazione? Dalla ricerca emerge un pattern di diffusione delle ICT improntato alla prudenza e alla gradualità, subordinato a percorsi strategici già definiti, trainato dalle singole imprese e non governato dal centro. Le tecnologie in ogni caso non sembrano mettere in discussione molti dei vantaggi legati alla prossimità territoriale né sostituirsi a quelle reti informali che da decenni costituiscono un perno della specificità e della competitività del modello distrettuale
SMEs competing in the international con- text: the influence of Industry 4.0 technologies
No full textActions fostering the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in manufacturing companies in European regions
Full text linkIndustry 4.0, a concept comprising a range of promising innovations enabled by the recent advancements in digital technologies, has become a priority of industrial policy in many European countries and regions. In this paper, we present actions undertaken by regional organisations (including the so-called Digital Innovation Hubs), fostering the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in manufacturing companies. Using examples from Germany, Italy and Poland, we show actions that enable the creation of general conditions for such implementations and help companies develop an individual strategy for adopting Industry 4.0 innovations
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