The role of the competitive context in the business strategy-formulation process

Questo paper tratta delle relazioni che esistono tra il contesto competitivo di un’impresa e il modo con cui essa formula la propria strategia a livello di business. All’interno di un progetto di ricerca più ampio, si è analizzato un campione di aree strategiche d’affari di alcune grandi imprese italiane. I rimutati del lavoro indicano che due fattori ambientali sono particolarmente rilevanti: i cambiamenti nei bisogni dei clienti delle imprese e il tasso di crescita della domanda. Si è inoltre potuto apprezzare che anche le grandi imprese non utilizzano strumenti sofisticati nei propri processi di formulazione della strategia competitiva.This paper deals with the relationships that exist between the competitive context of the firm and the way it formulates its strategy at the business level. A research project surveyed a sample of strategic business areas from medium and large-sized firms in Italy. The main results are that two environmental factors are particularly relevant: changes in the needs of the firm’s customers and demand growth rate. Moreover, it transpired that even larger firms do not use sophisticated tools to formulate their competitive strateg

Unbundling the construct of firm-level international competitiveness

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for positioning the research contributions on the analysis of firm-level international competitiveness and addressing the key issues on this topic. Design/methodology/approach – Linking the concepts of internationalization, performance, and firm-level competitiveness, the paper proposes a framework for identifying the different dimensions of international competitiveness. Literature on each dimension is reviewed and the linkages between them are discussed. Findings – The paper unbundles the construct of international competitiveness into three dimensions: “ex ante” competitiveness, relating to firm- and location-specific advantages as drivers of competitiveness; firm internationalization profile, resulting from the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of a firm’s presence abroad; “ex post” competitiveness, relating to market, financial and nonfinancial performance of a firm in foreign markets. Originality/value – Although the analysis of international competitiveness benefits from contributions from different research streams such as international business, marketing, and strategic management, the lack of an organizing framework makes it difficult to “handle” within a potentially huge body of literature. This paper contributes to fill this gap. In addition, it provides the basis for a new research agenda about the analysis of the internationalization-performance relationshi

Internazionalizzazione e competitività delle imprese produttrici di macchine utensili: alcune evidenze empiriche

Questo lavoro si basa su un indagine empirica condotta su un campione di 33 imprese produttrici d acchine utensili, con l obiettivo di analizzarne le strategie d internazionalizzazione e le caratteristiche quali-quantitative della presenza sui mercati internazionali. L analisi è basata su dati raccolti attraverso la somministrazione di un questionario alle imprese associate UCIMU (l'associazione dei costruttori italiani di macchine utensili) e la realizzazione di interviste ad imprenditori. Dallo studio emerge, in primo luogo, la centralità dell internazionalizzazione nei percorsi di sviluppo aziendale. Nel periodo 2003-2006 la crescita aziendale è stata, infatti, trainata dai mercati esteri. Le imprese indagate si caratterizzano per un elevato livello di export intensity, così come per un alta dispersione geografica delle vendite. Il presidio commerciale resta l elemento chiave delle strategie d internazionalizzazione perseguite. La scelta di forme d internazionalizzazione meno impegnative si spiega non solo alla luce della limitata dimensione: il passaggio da forme di export indiretto a modalità di presenza estera più strutturate richiede un impegno crescente in termini non solo finanziari, ma, più in generale, organizzativi e gestionali. L analisi mostra che la dotazione di capitale umano (ad esempio, il numero di dirigenti con esperienze internazionali e il numero di occupati laureati) e, in generale, competenze manageriali e vantaggi competitivi basati su innovazione e qualità contribuiscono a spiegare il diverso grado di sviluppo internazionale. Questi elementi giocano un ruolo fondamentale ai fini del rafforzamento della presenza delle imprese nei mercati esteri, soprattutto in quelli emergent

Archetypes of SME internationalization: A configurational approach

Building on the recognition of the variety of aspects associated with international expansion, we present a framework for identifying different archetypes of firm internationalization. Our model is based on six indicators: internationalization from the demand side, resources located abroad, geographical scope, international orientation, internationalization of the business network, and financial internationalization. Drawing from data on 63 Italian SMEs, four archetypes of internationalization strategy are identified through a cluster analysis: 'marketer', 'investor', 'networker', and 'weak internationalizer'. This study offers a methodological contribution to the analysis of firm-level internationalization, grounded in configurational theory, which defines strategies as multidimensional archetypes. We also discuss potential directions for future research. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Difference in antecedents of entrepreneurial intention between men and women: a study of Albanian university students

This study examines the entrepreneurial intentions of male and female university students in Albania, which is a little-studied but interesting context due to a culture affected by both patriarchal values and a communist past. The main goal is to analyze the influence on entrepreneurial intention of individuals’ perceptions of possessing the characteristics required to be a successful entrepreneur as well as their perceptions of the need to sacrifice personal life to have a business, of the external macro-environment as a source (or not) of social guarantees and benefits, and of their fear of failure. The study used data from a survey of 447 students at seven Albanian universities. The authors employed a probit maximum likelihood model with robust standard errors to investigate the research hypotheses. The results reveal differences between the entrepreneurial intentions of female and male students and show that some under-researched perceptual variables explain the entrepreneurial intention and the influence of gender on it. The results give insights into the possible focus of policies aiming to enhance entrepreneurship among young women in Albania. Government policies should take into account the necessity to help women consider entrepreneurship as a possible career and encourage them to see themselves as capable of starting new ventures. Considering the interplay of patriarchal values and Albania’s communist past, the results are inspiring for entrepreneurship research. Furthermore, the study focuses on under-researched variables and the moderating effect of gender on these variables