Journal articles: 'Italian SME’s'

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Gabbianelli, Linda. "A territorial perspective of SME’s default prediction models." Studies in Economics and Finance 35, no. 4 (October 1, 2018): 542–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/sef-08-2016-0207.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test whether the qualitative variables regarding the territory and the firm–territory relationship can improve the accuracy rates of small business default prediction models. Design/methodology/approach The authors apply a logistic regression to a sample of 141 small Italian enterprises located in the Marche region, and the authors build two different default prediction models: one using only financial ratios and one using jointly financial ratios and variables related to the relationship between firm and territory. Findings Including variables regarding the relationships between firms and their territory, the accuracy rates of the default prediction model are significantly improved. Research limitations/implications The qualitative variables data collected are affected by subjective judgments of respondents of the firms studied. In addition, neither other qualitative variables (such as those regarding competitive strategies, or managerial skills) are included nor those variables regarding the relationships between firms and financial institutions are included. Practical implications The study suggests that financial institutions should include territory qualitative variables, and, above all, qualitative variables regarding the firm–territory relationship, when constructing business default prediction models. Including this type of variables, it could be able to reduce the tendency to place unnecessary restrictions on credit. Originality/value The field of business failure prediction modeling using variables regarding the relationship between firm–territory is a unexplored area as it count of a very few studies.

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Bengo, Irene, and Marika Arena. "The relationship between small and medium-sized social enterprises and banks." International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management 68, no. 2 (February 11, 2019): 389–406. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijppm-02-2018-0066.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to perform a critical analysis of the relationship between small- and medium-sized social enterprises (SMSEs) and banks. Based on the conceptual framework for the analysis of SME’s credit availability developed by Berger and Udell (2006), this study aims to contribute to the current debate in two ways: first, outlining the characteristics of the lending technologies currently used by banks and financial institutions to evaluate SMSEs when they apply for credit; and second, discussing, based on the results of the empirical analysis, the coherence of these systems from the social ecosystem perspective and identifying areas for possible improvement. Design/methodology/approach The paper develops a conceptual framework based on the model proposed by Berger and Udell (2006), which defines the characteristics of lending technologies that banks use to evaluate SMEs, and applies it to the case of SMSEs. To study the interplay of these lending technologies, the empirical analysis is based on a case study of five Italian banks. Data are collected from multiple sources to capture key dimensions of the problems analyzed. Findings The paper provides empirical insight about the relationship between SMSEs and banks. The Italian case shows that the current lending infrastructure must be revised to support SMSE credit availability, and government policies affect the national financial institution structure. The relationship between SMSEs and Italian banks remains underdeveloped. Social implications The research supports the scaling up of social business. Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need to study how social enterprises credit access can be enabled.

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Ottonello, L., G. Canepa, P. Albertelli, E. Picco, A. Florio, G. Masciarelli, S. Rossi, et al. "The Largest Italian SMES." IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity 16, no. 2 (June 2006): 602–7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/tasc.2005.869677.

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Cinquegrana, G., and D. Sarno. "Regional Effects on the Capital Structure of the Italian SMEs." International Journal of Economics and Finance 10, no. 11 (October 20, 2018): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijef.v10n11p1.

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This analysis investigates the determinants of the capital structure of the SMEs belonging in the so-called Italian Mezzogiorno, that is perfectly integrated but slowly growing area the South of the country, with respect to the capital structure of the SMEs of the more developed Italian regions. The study is based on a large sample of Italian manufacturing SMEs covering the 2001-2013 years and she is carried through fixed effect panel estimations of several standard leverage models. The empirical findings show that there are structural differences in the working of regional model reaffirming some distinctive features of the financial behaviour of the SMEs belonging in the Southern Italian regions.

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Broccardo, Laura, Elisa Giacosa, Francesca Culasso, and Alberto Ferraris. "Management control in Italian SMEs." Global Business and Economics Review 19, no. 5 (2017): 632. http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/gber.2017.086781.

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Ferraris, Alberto, Laura Broccardo, Francesca Culasso, and Elisa Giacosa. "Management Control in Italian SMEs." Global Business and Economics Review 19, no. 5 (2017): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/gber.2017.10004434.

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Morabito, Vicenzo, Stefano Pace, and Pietro Previtali. "ERP Marketing and Italian SMEs." European Management Journal 23, no. 5 (October 2005): 590–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2005.09.014.

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Minarelli, F., M. Raggi, and D. Viaggi. "Distinguishing the innovation behaviour of micro, small and medium food enterprises." Journal on Chain and Network Science 14, no. 2 (January 1, 2014): 95–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.3920/jcns2014.x004.

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The European economy, and particularly the food sector, is characterised by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Networking represents for SMEs an opportunity to meet their needs in terms of know-how, and technological and financial resources with the main purpose of fostering innovation and facing global competition. Most scientific studies investigating networking for innovation focus on SMEs as a whole without exploring possible differences between SMEs. An important question to be posed is whether the firms within groups of SMEs behave the same in terms of innovation. The purpose of this paper is to understand whether different ‘innovation profiles’ of Italian food SMEs can be distinguished and to identify the structural factors associated with different profiles, with particular attention to size and networking. The methodology consists of a cluster analysis on data obtained by standardized on-line questionnaires compiled by Italian agri-food SMEs. Moreover, besides the identification of possible heterogeneity within the SME group with regard to innovation behaviour, the paper presents further value by providing useful information on surveyed Italian food SMEs in terms of firm structure and innovation.

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di Donato, Francesca, and Luciano Nieddu. "Corporate failure: Bankruptcy prediction for Italian SMEs based on a longitudinal case study from 2000 to 2011." Corporate Ownership and Control 17, no. 3 (2020): 27–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.22495/cocv17i3art2.

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We investigate the case of Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Italy trying to understand if key performance indicators obtained from the financial statement are able to predict possible distress in a company with enough time to take some corrective actions. In order to test the hypotheses, a nonparametric supervised classification algorithm has been applied to a random sample of 100 non-listed SMEs, considering 50 companies that filed for bankruptcy during the period 2000-2011 and 50 companies still active on the market at the end of 2011. Results describe the Italian picture for SMEs during an economic crisis period. They show that, for the Italian case, it is possible to predict with enough time (4-5 years prior to failure) a distress situation in a firm through classification methods. Anyway, these methods are not predicting the health of a company but the possibility of the firm to access the credit system. The results are limited to the Italian SMEs context which is quite particular if compared with other countries in Europe. The dataset is limited in size but has been chosen to be representative of non-listed Italian companies.

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Angelini, Maria Serena, Alessandro Gennaro, and Renato Giovannini. "Financial policy of Italian SMEs: The impact of mini-bond." Corporate Ownership and Control 16, no. 3 (2019): 113–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.22495/cocv16i3art10.

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Matter of interest is the financing policies adopted by Italian SMEs to sustain their business cycles and competitive strategies; more specifically, the paper attempts to verify the role played by the “mini-bond”, a financing instrument introduced in 2012 by the Italian government. So, this paper can be framed in the part of the wide financial literature that examines the financing decisions of SMEs. In this field, it provides a contribution in this field by analyzing the impacts on the financing policy and choices, generated by the introduction of new and alternative financial instruments. Therefore, focusing on the Italian context, the research analyses whether the mini-bonds have actually triggered variations in capital structure, solvency and profitability of Italian SMEs that have issued mini-bond. After having considered trends and statistics about the mini-bond market, the paper examines the effects of financial policies adopted by Italian companies that tapped the bond market in the last 7 years. The analysis is based on a dataset extracted from database AIDA; this dataset includes accounting data and financial ratios taken from financial statements of Italian SMEs that issued mini-bond between 2012-2016. The research covers a sample of 246 Italian companies and focuses on their accounting ratios related to financial leverage, solvency, and profitability. Considering the variation between the years before and after the issues for each of 12 considered ratios, we measured average, median and standard deviation of variations to analyze the financial behaviour of SMEs in the sample. This research framework is slightly different from previous researches because, to correctly interpret the average variations, we carried out a preliminary significance check using the Student distribution, and we observed the coherence between average and median, also considering if positive variations were less or more than negative ones. The main results we obtain are that mini-bonds have: an impact on the issuer’s capital structure, with clear impacts on the level and maturity of indebtness; a positive influence on the short-term solvency level of the issuers.

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Topalović, Amir, and Antonia Azzini. "Data Mining Applications in SMEs: An Italian Perspective." Business Systems Research Journal 11, no. 3 (November 1, 2020): 127–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/bsrj-2020-0031.

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AbstractBackgroundFrom the last decade, data mining techniques, employed in particular in customer relationship management, have assumed a key role in the profitability and operations of companies. To support small and medium companies (SMEs), several innovative and continuously improving tools have been developed that allow SMEs to utilize the internal and external data sources to increase their competitiveness.ObjectivesIn this paper, an analysis of the impact of digitalization, and in particular data mining techniques, in the context of SMEs development is presented.Methods/ApproachA review of various sources has been conducted, with the focus on open source tools, since in the context of the Italian economy they are used by SMEs the most.ResultsFirst, the analysis presents a brief review of the data mining techniques available and shows how they are practically employed in small companies. Second, an economical review of investments in data mining projects in Italy is presented.ConclusionsThe review indicates that data mining techniques can boost a company in the market. However, the awareness of data mining as a company asset is still not strong in Italian SMEs and most investments in Italy are still carried out by large companies.

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SERRAVALLE, FRANCESCA, MILENA VIASSONE, and REGINE VANHEEMS. "The dark side of retailers regarding digital growth strategies: an exploratory study on augmented reality perception." Sinergie Italian Journal of Management 38, no. 3 (January 15, 2021): 71–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.7433/s113.2020.05.

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Purpose of the paper: The present paper aims to investigate retailers’ perception of immersive technology (e.g. augmented reality) to create new growth strategies to expand and internationalize business. Methodology: This study adopts a qualitative approach, based on a multi-case study methodology. Nine Italian SMEs operating in the furniture and interior design sector were interviewed. After transcribing and translating the interviews, they were coded using an inductive approach. Results: This study shows that Italian SMEs still have little exposure to the knowledge of technologies, and thus a higher resistance to adopting digital growth strategies in their business. Research limitations: This study is exploratory in nature and based on a sample of nine SMEs in the Italian cultural context. Therefore, further research could extend our findings, by carrying out a cross-cultural analysis in comparison with other countries. Practical implications: This study highlights the importance for SMEs to understand and introduce digital growth strategies to create competitive advantages on the market and an enhanced experience for consumers. Using technologies, SMEs should be able to maintain a growth orientation with a high level of networking with international corporations to be more flexible towards market advancements and changes. Originality of the paper: This paper provides an original view on retailers’ perception of immersive technologies to create digital growth for SMEs, by highlighting some new challenges that SMEs must face to successfully compete in a digital scenario.

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D’Andrea, Alessia, and Lucia Montanini. "Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in Italian SMEs." Journal of Business and Economics 6, no. 12 (December 20, 2015): 2040–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.15341/jbe(2155-7950)/12.06.2015/005.

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Crema, Maria, and Chiara Verbano. "Managing Intellectual Capital in Italian Manufacturing SMEs." Creativity and Innovation Management 25, no. 3 (August 28, 2014): 408–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/caim.12074.

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Pirola, Fabiana, Chiara Cimini, and Roberto Pinto. "Digital readiness assessment of Italian SMEs: a case-study research." Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management 31, no. 5 (November 25, 2019): 1045–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jmtm-09-2018-0305.

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Purpose Given the challenges that Industry 4.0 poses, the purpose of this paper is to propose a comprehensive assessment model suitable for evaluating small- and medium-size enterprises’ (SMEs) digital readiness levels, discuss the results of an assessment of 20 manufacturing SMEs using the proposed model and highlight priorities needed to undertake a successful journey towards Industry 4.0. Design/methodology/approach The research adopts an empirical approach using multiple case studies. Starting with a literature review about maturity and readiness-assessment models for Industry 4.0, the study’s model has been built and validated through two pilot case studies, with the final model used in an extensive case studies research with 20 enterprises. Findings The SMEs used in this research present an intermediate readiness level with respect to Industry 4.0. They are aware of the phenomenon, but management is still taking the first steps towards identifying the most appropriate strategy to approach this Fourth Industrial Revolution. Companies need to exploit all opportunities that data availability provides in terms of knowledge creation and decision-making support, in all forms, through investments in people skills and expertise and through an infrastructure that can support data gathering, analysis and sharing. Originality/value The Italian industrial landscape comprises mainly SMEs, mostly needing support to understand their path towards Industry 4.0. Therefore, the proposed model specifically focuses on SMEs, given its modularity, ease of understanding and fit to SMEs’ organisational structure. Furthermore, insights from 20 Italian SMEs are examined, and a list of priorities is highlighted.

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Piscitello, Lucia, and Francesca Sgobbi. "SMEs in the New Economy — Evidence from Selected Italian Districts." Competition & Change 7, no. 1 (January 2003): 61–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1024529032000093370.

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The paper investigates SMEs' responses to the challenges posed by the new economy, i.e. the joint action of the increasing globalisation and the diffusion of ICTs. Indeed, while on the one hand the new economy may weaken the traditional obstacles to the transformation of SMEs into global players, on the other, it may also confront SMEs with new obstacles and threats. The present paper provides empirical evidence on these issues by analysing the behaviour of 277 SMEs located in two of the largest Italian industrial districts. The empirical findings (i) show the existence of differentiated behavioural patterns in approaching ICTs and e-business applications; (ii) suggest that, at the firm level, the attitude towards ICTs and e-business reflects the company strategy in facing global competition.

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Corazza, Laura. "The Standardization of Down-Streamed Small Business Social Responsibility (SBSR)." Information Resources Management Journal 30, no. 4 (October 2017): 39–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/irmj.2017100103.

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Scholars have begun to investigate the prevalence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper studies the implementation of non-financial sustainability reporting tools in Italian SMEs as part of their Small Business Social Responsibility (SBSR) long supply chain compact with large multinationals. The fundamental finding of this work is that because of the down-streaming effect of CSR reporting from large companies to small ones, SMEs approach sustainability as a standard management practice. The sample is composed of 73 Italian multi-certified entities (SA8000/ISO14001/EMAS) that have published their sustainability report online between 2011 and 2013. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to discover three otherwise un-observable underlying effects.

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Del Giudice, Manlio, Ahmad Arslan, Veronica Scuotto, and Francesco Caputo. "Influences of cognitive dimensions on the collaborative entry mode choice of small- and medium-sized enterprises." International Marketing Review 34, no. 5 (September 11, 2017): 652–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/imr-05-2016-0098.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address internationalisation of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by specifically focussing on collaborative entry modes. Despite significant research done on market entry and internationalisation strategies of firms, the use of collaborative entry modes by SMEs during internationalisation has not received a lot of attention. The authors contribute to foreign market entry studies by analysing the influences of cognitive dimensions on collaborative entry mode choice (equity vs non-equity modes) of SMEs in their international markets. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyse the influences of cognitive dimensions on the choice between equity-based vs non-equity-based collaborative entry modes. The empirical sample consists of internationalisation strategies of 345 Italian SMEs, where the authors used a questionnaire to collect the data. The authors use structural equation modelling to analyse influences of factors like asymmetric information, informal institutional distance, time trends of country, perception of size and resources of potential host country partners, and perception of host country partners’ power on this important market entry mode. Findings The results show that high informal institutional distance leads to preference of non-equity-based collaborative entry mode by Italian SMEs. The authors also find that positive time trends of the host country, positive perception of size and resource of the local partner, as well as the local partners’ power leads to preference of equity-based collaborative entry mode by Italian SMEs. Originality/value This study focusses on an ignored aspect of market entry strategies, i.e., equity vs non-equity collaborative entry mode choice of SMEs. The authors use insights from resource-based view and cognitive dimensions literature, to address the influences of five cognitive dimensions on the collaborative entry mode choice of SMEs during their internationalisation.

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Bongarzoni, Paolo. "Italian SME Crisis and the Support Offered by Management Consulting." International Journal of Information Communication Technologies and Human Development 13, no. 2 (April 2021): 50–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/ijicthd.2021040104.

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The effects of the EU measures and the financial crisis limited the potential growth of the Italian small medium enterprises (in term of loss of productivity, increase of unemployment rate, and decrease of customers purchase power). Together with these two factors, the Italian economic system competitiveness (whose backbone is represented by the SMEs) was negatively affected by the “digital disruption.” The purpose of this article is to critically analyse the main causes of this competitiveness loss for Italian SMEs and the role of strategy consultants in helping them to improve their results and their presence in local and international markets. Leveraging on their past industry/service line experience and massive investment in digital transformation (e.g., acquisitions of IT companies, alliances, specialization in software/tools, and internal reorganization), strategy consultants are able to assess, suggest, and implement their clients' digital strategy.

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Fazio, Giorgio, and Davide Piacentino. "A Spatial Multilevel Analysis of Italian SMEs' Productivity." Spatial Economic Analysis 5, no. 3 (September 2010): 299–316. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17421772.2010.493953.

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Payaro, Andrea, and Anna Rita Papa. "Logistics Outsourcing: Why Do Not Some Italian SMEs Adopt the Externalization?" Asian Business Research 2, no. 2 (May 16, 2017): 46. http://dx.doi.org/10.20849/abr.v2i2.164.

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Logistics is a one of the common function that companies usually outsourced. The decision to keep this function in-house or contract with one or many third-party logistics (3PL) companies is entirely strategic and can dramatically impact any organization's bottom line. 3PL users report an average of 44% of their total logistics expenditures are related to outsourcing. 72% of firms are increasing their use of outsourced logistics services in 2015, which is up slightly from the average reported in recent years. Most developed outsourcing logistics market belongs to the U.S. with 88%. It is followed by Asia 48%, and Europe – 46% (O’Reilly, 2010). In Italy some industries can reach the 70%, in particular food, groceries and fashion (Osservatorio Contract Logistics del Politecnico di Milano). There are many researches about logistics and large enterprises. There are less studies about Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and logistics outsourcing. SMEs play a major role in the Italian economic system. Their business activities have become an important component of the Italian economy.This paper aims to depict the adoption level of outsourcing by Italian SMEs. By direct interviews to 28 companies’ representatives we investigate which services or processes are outsourced. We investigate the reasons why companies adopt or don’t adopt the externalization. Moreover, for every company we calculate the logistics costs of simple logistics processes. In effect, we wish to compare the logistics costs communicated by the firms and the same costs calculated with ABC (Activity Based Cost) model. This research demonstrate that SMEs adopt 3PLs only for transportation. SMEs do not know all the logistics services offered by 3PLs and SMEs think the services are dedicated only to large enterprises. Finally, many companies are not able to calculate logistics costs, then they cannot compare a 3PL offer with their real costs.

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Santoro, Gabriele, Alberto Ferraris, and Daniel John Winteler. "Open innovation practices and related internal dynamics: case studies of Italian ICT SMEs." EuroMed Journal of Business 14, no. 1 (April 1, 2019): 47–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/emjb-05-2018-0031.

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on challenges and facilitating factors of open innovation practices (OIP) implemented by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachThe empirical research has been conducted on eight SMEs operating in the ICT sector, through a qualitative approach involving comparative case studies.FindingsThe findings drawn from the interviews indicate that each OIP established entails specific challenges and facilitating factors that SMEs have to face to sustain the open innovation journey and foster competitiveness. These findings helped to draw some important managerial implications and provide insights to SMEs willing to open innovation processes.Originality/valueThe study identifies OIP used in empirical studies to explore specific challenges and facilitators for each OIP, in the context of SMEs. Previous studies mostly focussed on open innovation sources and scarcely investigated internal dynamics of specific OIP.

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Nigri, Giorgia, and Mara Del Baldo. "Sustainability Reporting and Performance Measurement Systems: How do Small- and Medium-Sized Benefit Corporations Manage Integration?" Sustainability 10, no. 12 (November 29, 2018): 4499. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su10124499.

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Benefit Corporations and B Corps represent alternative models of enterprise, often referred to as “hybrid companies” that bridge the for-profit and not-for-profit models. Italy is the first country outside the USA to pass Benefit Corporation legislation and introduce the Società Benefit. A large number of Italian Benefit Corporations are small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs), since SMEs are widespread within the entrepreneurial fabric and have great relevance in the Italian socio-economic context. A key issue in the emerging debate on small- and medium-sized Benefit Corporations concerns how these companies—with limited reach and considerable financial and human resource constraints—can effectively absorb their added social responsibility. In particular, such firms need to manage their dual mission, integrate social and environmental goals in their business model, and incorporate accountability mechanisms, all while scaling up and garnering the necessary resources to be economically competitive. Starting from these premises, this paper focuses on the performance measurement and reporting systems that are adopted by SMEs that are also Benefit Corporations, and investigates whether benefit impact assessment indicators integrate into an overall sustainability performance management system. To achieve this goal, an exploratory case-based analysis on seven small- and medium-sized Italian-certified Benefit Corporations is presented.

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D’Angelo, Chiara, Diletta Gazzaroli, and Caterina Gozzoli. "Organisational Welfare in Italian SMEs: The Process of Valorising Human Resources." Sustainability 12, no. 22 (November 10, 2020): 9318. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12229318.

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Organisational welfare is a complex private system that offers advantages to a company and its employees. However, when occupational welfare is largely implemented as an “economic” strategy, there is a high probability that it would not necessarily be capable of guaranteeing a profit. The risks and possibilities associated with the implementation of a welfare programme incur further challenges if applied to the context of SMEs. Thus, SMEs are organisational realities characterised by specific emotional and relational dynamics. As such, welfare in these realities takes on deep value and significance and so it potentially impacts processes of valorising human resources. With our study, we analysed welfare practices and representations within specific organisational realities (SMEs) in order to understand how welfare could impact organisational processes of valorising human resources. Based on our results, we realised that welfare can be seen as a sort of magnifying glass that allowed for the detection of the themes that led the organisations to reflect on their rooted values and identities. We suggest that SMEs should think about welfare as a process rather than a product, strengthening their awareness of factors, dynamics and processes that define the complexity of the quality of life in organisations.

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Crupi, Antonio, Nicola Del Sarto, Alberto Di Minin, Gian Luca Gregori, Dominique Lepore, Luca Marinelli, and Francesca Spigarelli. "The digital transformation of SMEs – a new knowledge broker called the digital innovation hub." Journal of Knowledge Management 24, no. 6 (June 13, 2020): 1263–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jkm-11-2019-0623.

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Purpose This study aims to understand if and how European digital innovation hubs (DIHs) filling the role of knowledge brokers (KBs) can support the digital transformation (DX) of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by triggering open innovation (OI) practices. Design/methodology/approach After presenting a conceptual model of reference, a survey and a subsequent in-depth interview were conducted to capture evidence from Italian DIHs. These structures were selected for their growing importance, as confirmed by the National Plan for Industry 4.0. Findings The findings highlight that Italian DIHs act not only as KBs but also as knowledge sources that give rise to a digital imprinting process that is able to shape the DX of SMEs. Originality/value Research on knowledge sharing and OI has mainly focused on large firms. The study covers the gaps identified in the literature by considering the role of KBs in enabling SMEs to embrace DX.

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Marzo, Giuseppe, and Elena Scarpino. "Exploring intellectual capital management in SMEs: an in-depth Italian case study." Journal of Intellectual Capital 17, no. 1 (January 11, 2016): 27–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jic-09-2015-0075.

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse intellectual capital (IC) in SMEs. In particular two research questions are posed: how SMEs acquire or develop knowledge and intangible resources; and how they manage and exploit IC. Design/methodology/approach – An in-depth case study of an Italian SME operating in the automobile industry is carried out in order to answer the two research questions. Findings – The case study evidences the impossibility to sharply divide all of the knowledge-related elements of a firm into the three generally accepted categories of human, organisational (structural) and relational capital. The analysis of IC as a set of stock of resources is important but really partial due to the fact that IC and knowledge continuously change. In this light, the focus on activities and processes help in understating how the firm manages IC. In the studied SME, formal and informal knowledge coexist but in different areas of the firm. Again, the relationships with external stakeholders, suppliers and clients especially, are the source for improving IC. The case study also supports the important role that dialogue and familiarity play in knowledge management. However the focus of management is not knowledge per se, but the solution to problems the firm must deal with, IC and knowledge being just one of the issues to be considered in order to solve problems. Research limitations/implications – The paper is useful since it addresses the management of IC in SMEs which is a topic under-researched with respect to the economic importance of SMEs. The conclusions of the work, emerging from an individual case study analysis, cannot be generalised. However, they offer support for other studies findings and highlight some specificities of the way SMEs manage IC. Practical implications – The paper explores the characteristics of IC management in SME in order to contribute towards the differentiation of the view of IC in relation to the “size” of the firm. Approaches originally developed for larger firms fail to consider SMEs characteristics, which indeed are not smaller large firms; therefore, it is in general impossible to think of SME management systems as simpler or smaller than those adopted by large firms. The key point is in fact that SMEs (at least the one here analysed) have management systems which are ontologically different. Originality/value – Besides the relevant role of SMEs in economy, very few papers have been published on the way IC is developed and managed in SMEs. A gap therefore exists between the economic importance of SME and the attention IC research has given to them, which calls for more research on this area. The paper is a step forward on the way of reducing that gap, since it provides a case study on knowledge and IC management within an Italian SME. Finally, the analysis reinforces similar results of other studies adopting a dynamic perspective for the analysis of IC, which found IC management in SMEs to be more based on informal systems.

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Botta, Marco. "Financing Decisions and Performance of Italian SMEs in the Hotel Industry." Cornell Hospitality Quarterly 60, no. 4 (November 30, 2018): 335–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1938965518816948.

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This study investigates the existence of an optimal capital structure for small and medium enterprise (SME) hotels through the analysis of the relationship between financing decisions and financial performance in a large sample of Italian hotel SMEs. The results show that hotel SMEs face an optimal capital structure that allows them to maximize returns to investors, while instead having both too little and too much debt reduces their financial performance. This notwithstanding, we show that hotel SMEs are not particularly concerned with optimizing their capital structure, and their funding behavior is deeply connected with the availability of internally available funds, a typical pecking order behavior, and they result extremely slow in converging toward their optimal level of leverage so that they could improve their performance by adopting a more sophisticated financial strategy.

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Presenza, Angelo, Tindara Abbate, Marta Meleddu, and Fabrizio Cesaroni. "Small- and medium-scale Italian winemaking companies facing the open innovation challenge." International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship 35, no. 3 (August 22, 2016): 327–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0266242616664798.

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This article examines the impact of open innovation (OI) practices on the innovation activity of low-tech small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Different external knowledge sources are considered, and the ability of SMEs to acquire and integrate external knowledge into their organizational boundaries for innovation purposes is assessed. The research draws on a sample of 191 Italian winemakers. The results show that SMEs with higher propensity to access and use external knowledge sources show a greater ability to innovate and that their absorptive capacity impacts the use of external sources. Several implications for theory and practice are drawn, underlining a number of suggestions for future research.

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Iraldo, Fabio, Francesco Testa, Pietro Lanzini, and Massimo Battaglia. "Greening competitiveness for hotels and restaurants." Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development 24, no. 3 (August 21, 2017): 607–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jsbed-12-2016-0211.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a survey-based study performed on Italian SMEs in the “hotel, restaurant, café” (HORECA) sector, aimed at investigating the relationship between pro-environmental strategies and competitiveness and how such strategies can be exploited to outperform competitors. Design/methodology/approach The survey involved 317 Italian SMEs. Regression models have been developed to analyze the causal relationship between three dimensions of competitiveness (competitive advantage over competitors, customer satisfaction and employees’ motivation), and environmental practices that can be adopted by HORECA SMEs. Findings Top management commitment emerges as a key driver of competitiveness, confirming the strategic relevance of a sound approach to sustainability also in SMEs operating in the tourism sector. Moreover, actions aimed at investing in green food products (e.g. organic food) and awareness campaigns emerge as strong predictors of good business performance. Finally, at managerial level, entrepreneurs and owners evaluate the implementation of internal sustainability monitoring systems as a relevant support to increase their competitive performance. Research limitations/implications Since the results are limited to Italian HORECA businesses, a cross-country comparison could represent a potential improvement of the research. Moreover, since the sector is characterized by the predominance of small and micro firms, specific attention should be devoted to the role played by entrepreneurs’ personal values in shaping business strategies. Originality/value The paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the relationship between SMEs in the tourism sector and the environmental dimension analyzing the link between the adoption of “green” practices and the competitive performance. The results suggest that customer involvement represents an essential pre-requisite to turn sustainability into an opportunity of market distinctiveness and stress the strategic role of the implementation of performance monitoring systems.

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di Pietro, Filippo, Maria Elena Bontempi, María-José Palacín-Sánchez, and Reyes Samaniego-Medina. "Capital Structure across Italian Regions: The Role of Financial and Economic Differences." Sustainability 11, no. 16 (August 18, 2019): 4474. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11164474.

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The objective of this article is to analyse how regional financial and economic differences influence the capital structure decisions of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, this paper considers the regional financial and economic differences in four ways: the development of the financial sector in the region, bank market concentration, the financial cost of obtaining funds, and regional economic development. For this purpose, we used unbalanced panel data from 26,504 SMEs across the 20 Italian regions and over the period from 2004 to 2010. This work is completed with an analysis of a no-crisis (2004–2007) and a crisis period (2008–2010). The results show that the regional differences in the degree of financial sector development, banking concentration, and local economic situations have a significant impact on the leverage level of SMEs, while the cost of obtaining funds is only relevant during a period of economic stability. These results suggest that insights can be derived from data disaggregation at the regional level inside the same country. These regional divergences in the capital structure of SMEs could influence regional economic resilience.

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Fortunati, Simona, Donato Morea, and Enrico Maria Mosconi. "Circular economy and corporate social responsibility in the agricultural system: Cases study of the Italian agri-food industry." Agricultural Economics (Zemědělská ekonomika) 66, No. 11 (November 27, 2020): 489–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.17221/343/2020-agricecon.

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The persistent exploitation of natural resources and the consequent use of consumption are driving global food demand with the result that agricultural activity is becoming less and less environmentally friendly. The circular economy (CE) can become a valid alternative, inserting the economic-agricultural system into the harmonic process of material circulation. The corporate social responsibility (CSR) model is particularly interesting not only because of the ethical dimension of the company but also as a factor of strategic business improvement that combines the concepts of CSR and CE as possible solutions for developing sustainable business processes. The objective of the work is to highlight a detailed framework of how the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the Italian agri-food industry can provide an adequate level of communication, circular strategies and social responsibility practices. The research methodology is based on a qualitative multiple study conducted on a sample of nine companies in the Italian territory. The study highlights the attention of companies on the issues of the CE for the achievement of the set sustainable objectives and the attention to CSR and CE practices. The work has several implications. It provides a further understanding of CSR and CE policies as enabling factors for the development of sustainable organizational performance in agriculture. Moreover, it better investigates the relationship between CSR and the CE. Finally, it analyses the SMEs state of the art in the CE field and strengthens the concept of CE by analysing corporate practices consistent with sustainability reports.

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PAIOLA, MARCO. "Digitalization and servitization: opportunities and challenges for Italian SMES." Sinergie Italian Journal of Management, no. 107 (February 11, 2019): 11–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.7433/s107.2018.01.

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Mari, Michela, Sara Poggesi, and Federico Giannetti. "Gender and Performance: Preliminary Evidences from Italian Innovative SMEs." Academy of Management Proceedings 2019, no. 1 (August 1, 2019): 16569. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2019.16569abstract.

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Caiazza, Rosa. "Explaining innovation in mature industries: evidences from Italian SMEs." Technology Analysis & Strategic Management 27, no. 8 (April 24, 2015): 975–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2015.1038511.

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Barbieri, Laura, Daniela Bragoli, Flavia Cortelezzi, and Giovanni Marseguerra. "Public Funding and Innovation Strategies. Evidence from Italian SMEs." International Journal of the Economics of Business 27, no. 1 (September 19, 2019): 111–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13571516.2019.1664834.

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Imbriani, Cesare, Piergiuseppe Morone, and Giuseppina Testa. "Innovation, quality and exports: The case of Italian SMEs." Journal of International Trade & Economic Development 23, no. 8 (September 10, 2013): 1089–111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09638199.2013.831944.

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Lupoli, Mario. "Mini-Bond-Backed Securities: A Breakthrough for Italian SMEs?" Journal of Structured Finance 25, no. 1 (April 30, 2019): 31–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.3905/jsf.2019.25.1.031.

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Garbellano, Salvatore, and Maria do Rosário Da Veiga. "Dynamic capabilities in Italian leading SMEs adopting industry 4.0." Measuring Business Excellence 23, no. 4 (November 28, 2019): 472–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/mbe-06-2019-0058.

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Purpose This paper aims to focus on how Industry 4.0 technology transfer has been implemented by leading Italian innovative small, and medium-size companies (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach This exploratory-descriptive study uses qualitative methods for collecting primary data (interviews and ethnographic observation) and secondary data (surveys, press news and websites). Findings The paper contributes to the understanding of what building dynamic capabilities (DC) is, and to clarify pivotal roles, functions and dynamics of the entrepreneur and the executive team. Research limitations/implications The results that emerged from the present research unveil a great potential for further development. The study can be confirmed and/or extended by replicating it within other economic contexts such as the European Union allowing then comparative studies amongst regions and countries. Practical implications In Italian leading SMEs an “augmented management” emerged. The study shows that digital technologies are enriching not only “what” and “how” management performs its duties but also its role: “orchestration” – a key term in DC theory – has been enhanced by new meanings. Social implications The study points out the relevance of an inclusive approach to Industry 4.0 to leverage the collective intelligence of the company. Originality/value Implementing Industry 4.0 has required a renewal of the leadership executive team: new young executives coming from other companies and sons/daughters of the entrepreneurs have provided methodologies and commitment to foster the digital transformation.

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De Chiara, Alessandra, and Antonio Minguzzi. "Success Factors in SMEs' Internationalization Processes: An Italian Investigation." Journal of Small Business Management 40, no. 2 (April 2002): 144–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1540-627x.00046.

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Mura, Matteo, Mariolina Longo, and Sara Zanni. "Circular economy in Italian SMEs: A multi-method study." Journal of Cleaner Production 245 (February 2020): 118821. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118821.

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La Rosa, Fabio, and Francesca Bernini. "Corporate governance and performance of Italian gambling SMEs during recession." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 30, no. 3 (March 19, 2018): 1939–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-03-2017-0135.

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Purpose This study aims to explore how the economic recession and some corporate governance (CG) provisions can affect the performance of Italian gambling small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across different business segments. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a panel sample of 2,135 observations before and during the global financial crisis. Specifically, the roles of ownership, boards of directors, chief executive officer gender and gambling business segments are investigated in the Italian gambling market. Findings Ownership concentration has a negative relationship with the performance of foreigner- and financial-owned firms, while boards exert a positive role on performance. Interestingly, the financial crisis does not impact the performance of Italian gambling SMEs and some business segments, such as bingo, perform even better during the crisis. Research limitations/implications Further investigations should analyze the role of single games on firm performance. The consumer- and firm-level examinations offer very different perspectives and scholars should be aware of this when investigating the gambling industry. Practical implications This study might help both policymakers and other gambling firms, such as casinos, to better understand which appropriate CG model should be adopted and how it can positively influence performance, especially in recessionary times. Originality/value This study contributes to studies on hospitality and tourism by focusing on the complementary role of gambling SMEs with respect to casinos. It also increases knowledge on the role of CG in privately owned gambling firms, which thus far has been scantly investigated by scholars.

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Rossi, Matteo, Elisa Giacosa, and Alberto Mazzoleni. "The financing methods for small and medium companies: comparison between Italy and Germany." Corporate Ownership and Control 13, no. 3 (2016): 366–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.22495/cocv13i3c2p9.

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The aim of this paperis to identify the appropriate financing methods for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) - with particular reference to alternative instruments to the banking ones- by comparing Italian and German companies. Based on a sample of Italian and German SMEs and thanks to a quantitative method, the research methodology was developed by the following logical steps: i) illustration of the informative matrix used, thanks to which it’s possible to identify different types of financing instruments (also those alternative to the banking ones) the most suitable for the analyzed companies; ii) adoption of the informative matrix to the sample of Italian and German companies; iii) comparison Italy-Germany. Several differences emerged between Italian and German small and medium-sized companies, regarding the most suitable suggested financing forms. The degree of effectiveness of the financing instruments alternative to the debt appears influenced by the analysed space-time context. With reference to Italy, the effectiveness of these instruments is rather modest. With reference to Germany, it occurs the opposite scenario. The originality of the paper is linked to the current profound changes in both economic and normative terms. The research tries to lead companies to change their financial culture, also considering financial instruments alternative to the bank debt particularly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises

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Minciullo, Marco, and Matteo Pedrini. "Larger and greener: Disentangling the industry effect on proactive environmental strategy in the Italian context." Corporate Ownership and Control 16, no. 1 (2018): 58–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.22495/cocv16i1art7.

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This research aims to investigate the influence of the industrial context on the implementation of proactive environmental strategies in listed firms, by verifying how the industry environmental impact affects the development of proactive environmental strategies (PES). Prior research on PES identified firm size as one of the most relevant and universally accepted antecedent, but recently a new stream of research has underlined the importance of the industry context. Due to the difficulties of studying environmental issues in SMEs, extant research on the role of the environmental impact of industries on PES within SMEs is lacking. For this reason, this study investigates the influence of the industrial context on PES in SMEs, to verify how it affects PES. Beginning from the assumption that more resources imply a higher engagement in proactive environmental strategies (PES), this study verifies, through the industry-context perspective, that in environmentally critical industries, SMEs can be more proactive than large corporations. The results indicate that the adoption of PES is principally subject to the industry effect and that belonging to an industry characterised by a significant environmental impact fosters the adoption of a more proactive approach to environmental issues. The relation is confirmed for both SMEs and large firms, not only within the two categories but also transversely. Thus, this research shows that SMEs working in environmentally critical industries show significant degrees of interest, motivation, and implementation of environmental management issues. This highlights that SMEs in environmentally critical industries place relative importance on managerial implications, risk management, and compliance, are less interested in external appraisal or initiatives that require huge investments.

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Mengistu, Azemeraw Tadesse, and Roberto Panizzolo. "Indicators and Framework for Measuring Industrial Sustainability in Italian Footwear Small and Medium Enterprises." Sustainability 13, no. 10 (May 13, 2021): 5472. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13105472.

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As small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have limited resources, they need a manageable number of indicators that are simple and easy to use for measuring sustainability performance. However, the lack of suitable indicators tailored to industry needs, particularly for SMEs, has been a major challenge in measuring and managing industrial sustainability. Our study aims to empirically analyze and select the useful and applicable indicators to measure sustainability performance in Italian footwear SMEs. To achieve this objective, we proposed a methodological approach to identify, analyze and select sustainability indicators. First, we carried out a systematic review to identify potential sustainability indicators from the literature. Then, we developed a questionnaire based on the identified indicators and pre-tested it with selected industrial experts, scholars, and researchers to further refine the indicators before collecting data. We applied the fuzzy Delphi method to analyze and select the final indicators. Based on a sample of 48 Italian footwear SMEs, the results of our study show that product quality, material consumption, and customer satisfaction were the top priorities among the selected indicators for measuring the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of industrial sustainability, respectively. The selected indicators stressed the measuring of industrial sustainability performance associated with financial benefits, costs, market competitiveness, resources, customers, employees, and the community. Our study proposed a framework that helps to apply the selected indicators for measuring sustainability performance in SMEs. Finally, our study contributes to the existing theory and knowledge of industrial sustainability performance measurement by providing indicators supported by empirical evidence and a framework to put the indicators into practice in the context of SMEs.

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Piva, Evila, and Cristina Rossi-Lamastra. "The License Choices of SMEs doing Business with Open Source Software." International Journal of Open Source Software and Processes 4, no. 1 (January 2012): 20–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/jossp.2012010102.

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In the past decade, Open Source (OS) licenses have attracted the interest of many scholars. However, there is still a limited understanding of the license choices made by small and medium enterprises doing business with OS (OS SMEs). The present paper aims at filling this gap. The authors argue that, because of firm specificities, OS SMEs tend to prefer copyleft licenses. Their arguments are corroborated by empirical evidence from a survey on 146 Italian OS SMEs. This evidence documents that OS SMEs are not plagued by the GPL fear theorized by the OS founding fathers. Conversely, these firms use copyleft licenses to more easily in-source knowledge from the community of OS users and developers. At the same time, license choices are influenced by the ideological motivations that OS SMEs inherit from their owner-managers.

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Salvador, Elisa, Florence Pinot de Villechenon, and Humberto López Rizzo. "European SMEs and the Brazilian market." European Business Review 26, no. 4 (June 3, 2014): 368–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ebr-10-2013-0129.

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Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the importance of networking for Italian and French small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Brazil. Business opportunities in Brazil have attracted a significant amount of interest in recent years. The country is moving towards market orientation, and it has recently experienced higher growth rates. Furthermore, upcoming events, such as the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, are attracting a significant amount of attention given the emergence of potential business opportunities in several sectors. Nevertheless, European companies wishing to enter the Brazilian market should address several constraints, including high barriers to entry, an extensive bureaucracy and a culture quite different from those in Europe. In this context, networking seems to be vital for success. Design/methodology/approach – The data were gathered through a survey undertaken between June and August 2012. After the questionnaire was prepared, each company either received and responded to the questionnaire by e-mail or participated in a telephone interview. The questionnaire included multiple choice questions, most of which used a 5-point Likert scale. Some open-ended questions were included to collect insights from respondents. Representatives of 21 Italian and 24 French SMEs agreed to participate in the survey. Respondents were typically company presidents, chief executive officers or export department managers with experience in the Brazilian market. Findings – The results highlight the importance of social networks for the SMEs interviewed. The establishment of social networks is pivotal for successful business activities in Brazil, as they can help entrants decipher and understand how society and business work. In Brazil, social networks are built through a path-dependent process that requires time, patience and perseverance, as well as an ability to overcome liabilities of sameness. In this regard, a networking process that encompasses specific activities linked to the peculiarities of Brazil is essential, even if it seems to be a second-best solution, as in the case of the QWERTY keyboard. This process, which is the main characteristic of social networking in Brazil, necessitates not only the use of the Internet and information and communications technologies but also face-to-face contacts for building reputation, legitimacy and trust. Originality/value – This paper extends the extant literature by investigating the importance of networking for Italian and French SMEs in Brazil. Brazil serves as an interesting and useful case that can deepen our knowledge about this aspect of international business. As highlighted by Jack et al. (2008) and Ruzzier et al. (2006), the knowledge and understanding of the networking process still suffers from several limitations despite the increased attention paid to this phenomenon.

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Lorizio, Marilene, and Antonia Rosa Gurrieri. "SMEs: Trust and judicial system." Journal of Governance and Regulation 5, no. 2 (2016): 7–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.22495/jgr_v5_i2_p1.

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Italian SMEs share capabilities and routines that permit them to reach high level of competition. But in a global system that is affected by structural deficiencies and negative performance of judicial system, it is very hard to maintain high performances. In this work, starting from the resilience capacity of a group of SMEs of surviving to the crisis, we try to analyse the quality of the expectations of a sample of resilient firms. Our study leads to the hypothesis that the economic crisis is in line with a crisis of confidence in the judicial system. This is all the more serious when considering that this distrust is rooted in those firms located in Southern Italy, where the inefficiency of the judicial system is particularly pronounced.

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Calignano, Giuseppe, and Robert Hassink. "Increasing innovativeness of SMEs in peripheral areas through international networks? The case of Southern Italy." REGION 3, no. 1 (April 19, 2016): 25. http://dx.doi.org/10.18335/region.v3i1.93.

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Strengthening innovation capacity of European small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by means of their participation in the Sixth (FP6-SME) and Seventh (FP7-SME) Framework Programmes was an important objective of the European Union policies. Since SMEs form the backbone of the Italian economy, their strong presence in an international network such as the one fostered by the European Union represent a great opportunity, particularly for firms located in southern Italy – the marginal macro-area of the country in terms of innovation – to increase their competitiveness. Based on the major literature on topics such as knowledge exchange, innovation networks and disparities, and on descriptive statistics and a cluster analysis in a dynamic perspective, our study aimed to assess the actual intra-regional, extra-regional and transnational links established by the Italian SMEs and public research establishments (PREs). In a next step we aim at assessing if knowledge flows fostered by the FP6-SME and FP7-SME were mainly concentrated in the traditionally winning macro-regional areas (North and Centre) or led to more widespread benefits in favour of SMEs located in the marginal South. The findings of our study revealed a very limited number of connections - with a related weak knowledge exchange - involving the southern regions, implying a reinforcement of innovation activities in the traditionally most dynamic industrial areas of the country.

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Majocchi, Antonio, Luciana Dalla Valle, and Alfredo D’angelo. "INTERNATIONALISATION, CULTURAL DISTANCE AND COUNTRY CHARACTERISTICS: A BAYESIAN ANALYSIS OF SMES FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE." Journal of Business Economics and Management 16, no. 2 (July 8, 2013): 307–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.3846/16111699.2012.720600.

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Relying on the accounting data of a panel of 403 Italian manufacturing SMEs collected over a period of 5 years, we find results suggesting that multinationality per se does not impact on the economic performance of international small and medium sized firms. It is the characteristics of the country selected, i.e. the political hazard, the financial stability and the economic performance, that significantly influence SMEs financial performance. The management implication for small and medium sized firms selecting and entering new geographic markets is significant, since our results show that for SMEs it is the market selection process that really matters and not the degree of multinationality.

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Gavinelli, Laura, Cinzia Colapinto, Mariangela Zenga, and Paola Chiodini. "Strategic choices in recessionary period: an exploration on italian smes." MERCATI & COMPETITIVITÀ, no. 3 (September 2016): 135–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.3280/mc2016-003008.

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Journal articles on the topic 'Italian SME’s'

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