1,720,962 research outputs found
Explaining firms’ performance through the resources and capabilities allocation in strategic groups: The Case of Italy’s Cosmetic Sector
No full textThe strategy literature encompasses studies that have investigated the existence of different strategic orientations as related to firm performance as well as studies that analyze the relationship between industry structure, the presence of strategic groups and firm performance. In contrast, very few studies attempted to evaluate the relationship between strategic orientations, resources, strategic groups and a firm performance. The aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship among strategic orientations, resource and capabilities allocation, strategic groups and firm performance. To test our hypotheses, we conducted a focus group and a survey on the Italian cosmetics industry employing a sample of 80 firms. The results show that participants did not adopted exclusively one strategic orientation. Participants applied a hybrid strategy, blending different mixes of the market-based and technology-based orientations. Though different in their orientation,ultimately each grouping might yield a similar level of performance
Chinese Immigrants Socio-Economic Enclave in an Italian Industrial District: the case of Prato
No full textThis exploratory study seeks to examine the nature of a migrant Chinese network of personal relationships and business interactions, and their level of integration with the traditional Italian firms that are housed in Prato’s industrial district. The specific goal is to understand how do the unique socio-economic entity which defines the quintessential Italian industrial district, and the business culture brought over by migrant Chinese entrepreneurs enmesh with each other.
Responses directly collected from 50 Chinese entrepreneurs in Prato – that hosts the largest Chinese community in Italy – through a survey.
Data analysis revealed that Chinese firms follow different paths than the Italian firms in Prato. Differences happen because of the strong influence of Chinese cultural heritage on entrepreneurial orientation, strategic decisions and know-how improvemen
Approaches of Italian Gold Firms to Marketing in the U.S.A. - A comparative study
No full textItaly is the largest exporter and second largest manufacturer of gold products in the world, despite the competitive coming out of India, which has increased the value of its exports
almost fivefold in the last five years. China, Hong Kong, and lately the upcoming Turkey are all increasing their presence in international markets. The competitiveness of Italian gold firms as
measured in market share in the international markets has nevertheless been steadily eroding.
The purpose of this study is to analyze current retail and export channel practices of Italian gold firms located in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany with a special emphasis on the US market and to
contrast them with those of some Indian gold firms.
We propose that many of the Italian gold firms difficulties are related to limited resources capabilities and investment in market development as well as the choice of indirect exporting as the primary channel in the US . As a result, direct and personal interaction with retailers and end users have dramatically been constrained. At the same time, Indian companies have been increasing their competitiveness in that industry worldwide, and
in the US in particular. The explanation of India as an emergence as a global competitor include both firm specific marketing strategies and the support from the Indian government to foreign direct investment. The research includes a comparison of the market approach of midsize gold firms from Italy and India
Consumer wine perceptions in the Brand Origin framework: the role of product market value
Get PDFDespite many studies in the literature have shown that the Brand of Origin (BO) is a well known
wine choice factor significantly affecting the consumer purchasing process, further investigations
are still necessary. In particular it is not clear how the components that make up part of the
consumer’s wine perception can affect the level of importance a consumer associates to the wine’s
BO in the purchasing decision process. The paper aims to bridge this gap investigating the buying
behavior of Brunello di Montalcino, an “high value wine”, compared to the buying behavior of
Chianti Classico, “a medium value wine”. We hypothesized that, in such a case, the consumer’s
wine perception components can be important and can moderate (reinforce) the BO effect on
purchasing behavior.
The analysis was conducted on a total sample of 5,173 consumers originating from USA, Canada;
Australia, Germany; UK; Sweden; Belgium; Italy. The results of the ordered logistic regression
confirms the relevancy and importance of the BO framework in the process of purchasing wine
products. In particular, the results show a different role that the wine consumer perception
components such as brand knowledge, brand attitude and brand image can have. Brand knowledge
moderate the BO effect in the case of “high value wine” while reinforces it in the case of “medium
value wine”; brand attitude reinforce the BO effect only for “medium level wines” while brand
image has a general reinforcing role of BO effect both for high and medium value wines.
From these findings we derive some managerial implications concerning a different strategic use of
BO for wine having a different market value
Region of origin and product knowledge. A cross-national analysis of the purchasing decisions of Chianti classico wine
No full textThe paper explores the country of origin (COO) effect in the wine sector with particular emphasis on the region of origin (ROO) as a factor when evaluating alternatives in the
purchasing decision-making process. The ROO identifies key information about the product. It is now generally recognized that the terroir is a crucial attribute for the quality of a wine. We have focused on case study of the appellation of Chianti Classico on the German, British, USA and Canadian markets. The choice is motivated by the long history and international reputation of the Chianti Classico. Specifically, the paper aims to answer the following main research questions: what is the importance of the country of origin/region of origin assigned by consumers in an evaluation of Italian wines and the evaluation of Chianti Classico? Is there a relationship between the region of origin and knowledge of wine in the choice processes of the buyers? The image of the Chianti Classico influences the willingness to pay a premium in the
analyzed markets included in the current study? Is there a difference in product perception and
buying behavior among consumers of “Old” and “New World”? The analysis was conducted on a total sample of 2.380 consumers. The results confirm the importance of the COO and especially the ROO in the process of purchase of wine products. Specifically, it reveals that
COO and ROO influence on the purchasing process in different ways, and that knowledge and a familiarity with a brand might have a moderating effect on purchase decisions. It was also found that in cases where consumers were not familiar with the product choices the ROO effect might be positive factor leading to acceptance of higher prices for wines originating in well recognized region
Willingness to Pay for a Regional Wine Brand
No full textThe paper explores the country of origin (Coo) and region of origin
(Roo) effects as related to the wine sector. We have focused on case
study of the appellation of Brunello di Montalcino and its perceived familiarity
for consumers originating from the Usa, Canadian, Australian,
German, British, Belgian, Swedish and Italian country markets. In particular,
the paper aims to answer the following research questions: what
is the importance of the country/region of origin assigned by consumers
when evaluating Brunello wine? What is the role of wine knowledge
within the decision-making process of the consumer? Does the image of
Brunello influence the willingness to pay a premium price in the analyzed
markets? Is there a difference in product perceptions and buying
behavior that could be identified between consumers originating from
«Old vs. New World»? The analysis was conducted on a total sample
of 4,190 consumers. The results confirm the relevancy and importance
of the Coo framework and especially the Roo frame of reference in the
process of purchasing wine products. In particular, the results shows an
evident New/Old World consumer different behaviour in terms of the
willingness to pay a premium price for Brunello di Montalcin
Does brand market value affect consumer perception of brand origin in the purchasing process? The case of Tuscan wines
No full textA plethora of studies have demonstrated that brand of origin is a significant factor
in the purchasing process. It is not clear however how the various components of
quality perception can affect the level of importance that a consumer might associate
with a brand of origin. This paper aims to bridge this gap by investigating the buying
behaviour of a luxury wine compared to that of a super-premium wine. We believe that
the components driving consumer quality perception play an important role in
reducing or reinforcing the brand of origin effect, but this role can vary in intensity
according to the wine market price segment.
The analysis was conducted on a sample of 5,173 consumers from the USA,
Canada, Australia, Germany, UK, Sweden, Belgium and Italy. The results reflect that
“brand knowledge” and “brand attitude” act differently on the brand of origin effect
depending on the market price segment. On the other hand, results regarding “brand
image” showed an overall reinforcing role of the brand of origin effect not affected by
wine price. Some managerial implications arise from the strategic use of the brand of
origin
Place branding-exploring knowledge and positioning choices across national boundaries: The case of an Italian superbrand wine
Get PDFPurpose. This paper examines the joint effects of product-specific region-of-origin (ROO)
and product-specific country-of-origin (COO) on willingness to pay a premium price for a
wine label designated as a Superbrand by the Italian government: Chianti Classico.
Design/Methodology/Approach. The paper introduces the concept of “ROO-COO
distance”, defined as the importance attributed to a product-specific ROO as compared to its
COO. In order to better understand whether the “ROO-COO distance” construct influences
willingness to pay a premium price, the paper considers consumers’ cross-national
differences and their knowledge, distinguishing among three types of knowledge: consumers’
subjective general product knowledge, consumers’ subjective country product knowledge and
consumers’ regional product experience. Four hypotheses were tested focusing on Chianti
Classico - a premium wine, as related to its region and country-of-origin (Tuscany, Italy). We
employed a sample of 4,156 consumers originating from New World countries (Australia,
USA and Canada) and Old World countries (Germany, UK, Sweden and Belgium).
Findings. The findings confirm that a place-of-origin influence on price-related product
evaluations is country-specific. Furthermore, the moderating role of consumers’ subjective
product knowledge and consumers’ region-related product experiences differ across
countries. The ROO-COO distance was found to positively affect only Old World consumers.
It was established that respondents’ subjective country/product knowledge and consumers’
regional knowledge or product experiences positively moderate this relationship.
Originality/Value. The paper links COO and ROO effects in a single framework and
analyses it at the cross-national level, while also considering the moderating effect of
consumer knowledge
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