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07 January 2022
Managing
Globalization
Managing
Globalization:
New Business Models,
Strategies and Innovation
Edited by
Demetris Vrontis,
Stefano Bresciani
and Matteo Rossi
Managing Globalization: New Business Models,
Strategies and Innovation
Edited by Demetris Vrontis, Stefano Bresciani and Matteo Rossi
This book first published 2016
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Copyright © 2016 by Demetris Vrontis, Stefano Bresciani, Matteo Rossi
and contributors
All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without
the prior permission of the copyright owner.
ISBN (10): 1-4438-8897-4
ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-8897-4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One ................................................................................................. 1
New strategies in Italian Airports
Giovanni Ossola, Guido Giovando and Chiara Crovini
Chapter Two .............................................................................................. 25
The Business of Luxury Brands: Luxury Car Brand Relationship
Elisa Giacosa, Francesca Culasso and Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro
Chapter Three ............................................................................................ 50
The Relevance of Cultural Aspects in Cross Cultural Management
in Multinational Companies
Alberto Ferraris, Marco Longo and Marco Warsitzka
Chapter Four .............................................................................................. 77
A Perfect Couple: The Winery and Rural Tourism
Luísa Cagica Carvalho and Bill Williams
Chapter Five .............................................................................................. 92
Strategy – Structure Combination for luxury Yacht Performance
Management
Laura Broccardo and Ali Coskun
Chapter Six .............................................................................................. 114
Modern Trends for the Strategic Use of Intellectual Property Rights:
Dynamic IP Portfolio Management, Open Innovation and Collaborative
Organizations
Rosa Lombardi, John Dumay, Alessandra Lardo and Raffaele Trequattrini
Chapter Seven.......................................................................................... 138
Smart City Initiatives in Italy: A Case Study of Turin
Francesca Culasso, Elisa Giacosa and Giuseppe Grossi
vi
Table of Contents
Chapter Eight ........................................................................................... 156
New Venture Growth from Start-up to Scale-up
Alessia Pisoni and Alberto Onetti
Chapter Nine............................................................................................ 182
Design Driven Innovation: An Approach for Global Markets
Stéphane Magne, Simona Alfiero and Francesco Venuti
Chapter Ten ............................................................................................. 207
Smart Management of Port Logistic Networks - The Italian Case
Maria V. Ciasullo, Giuseppe Festa and Antonio Festa
Chapter Eleven ........................................................................................ 233
Innovation Capacity in Family Business: A Survey from an Italian Sample
Stefano Bresciani and Federico Balbo
Chapter Twelve ....................................................................................... 249
Innovation and Sustainability: The Road to Success
for Wine Tourism Destinations
Angela Scilla and Milena Viassone
Chapter Thirteen ...................................................................................... 277
Strategies to Increase the Profitability of Italian Wine Producers
Fabrizio Bava, Melchiorre Gromis di Trana and Shab Hundal
Chapter Fourteen ..................................................................................... 296
Managing the Global Complexity in a Triple/Quadruple Helix Context
Maria Rosaria Della Peruta and Manlio Del Giudice
Editors ..................................................................................................... 313
Contributors ............................................................................................. 315
CHAPTER ONE
NEW STRATEGIES IN ITALIAN AIRPORTS
GIOVANNI OSSOLA, GUIDO GIOVANDO
AND CHIARA CROVINI
Introduction
The following chapter deals with the impact of new international airport
strategies on the business models adopted by Italian air management
companies. It presents a qualitative study of the Italian airport system and
its evolution over the past few decades. As this is a topical study, one of its
aims is to understand why this system continues to expand, despite the
economic crisis.
After a brief review of the literature on this topic and sectors of air
transport, the study scrutinizes Italy’s airport infrastructure and air
management companies. This theoretical background aims to explain the
structure of airports and the way they are managed. In addition, the chapter
discusses the process of deregulation in the USA, Europe and Italy. In
particular, we will concentrate on its effect in Italy, viz., the rise of lowcost airlines.
The study’s most important aim is to monitor the effects of deregulation
on airport business models and the associated strategies in Italy.
Investigating the impact of these new laws and provisions on air
management companies can help in gaining a better understanding of
globalization’s role and influence on business strategies.
Accordingly, the study attempts to answer the following research
questions: i) How extensively has the air transport sector changed over the
past few decades? ii) How have these changes influenced the Italian
setting? And iii) What effects has globalization had on air transport
companies, in terms of developing new strategies and business models?
2
Chapter One
The research presents some limitations: first of all, it should be
emphasized that this is the first phase of a far deeper analysis that can also
involve quantitative data. For example, this qualitative study can be
combined with a financial analysis of the overall performance of fullservice and low-cost airlines to quantify the value created by both groups.
In addition, what is happening in different countries can be compared in
order to analyze the impact of deregulation and its effects.
Literature Review
There are many studies on the airport sector. In particular, the business of
airport management has been analyzed:
- Through the study of its functional areas as a whole (Doganis,
2000; Ossola, 1996, Pellicelli, 1996; Dominici, 1982), or of certain
selected areas, such as marketing (Jarach, 2002; Corvi and Bonera,
2006; Starkie, 2005), organization (Ashford et al., 1997), finance
(Ashford and Moore, 1992) and logistics (Rossi, 2006);
- Through quantitative analysis of samples of data from the financial
statements of airport management companies, in order to ensure
stable financial results and standing (Tsekeris, 2011; Teodori et al.,
2006; Giannetti, 2006).
In recent decades, airport services have been liberalized to varying extents
in all countries (de Neufville, 1999; Forsyth, 2002). This liberalization has
broken up monopolies and created a more competitive system (Bertoli,
2006; Ponti, 2002; Read, 1994).
Many scholars have focused on corporate governance, particularly as
regards government participation in the equity of airport management
companies in many countries around the world (Vasigh and Erfani, 2009;
Oum et al. 2008; Graham, 2003). As regards carriers, deregulation has led
to the birth and growth of new airlines, the so-called low-cost companies
(Morrell, 2008; Morrison and Winston, 1995).
Some scholars have pointed to the correlation between local development
and the airport structure, which has indirect positive effects on the
surrounding areas (Baccelli, 2001; Shearman, 1992), producing an
increase in economic activity and an economic impact on the reference
context (Bresciani and Oliveira, 2007; Brueckner, 2003; Senn and
Zucchetti, 2001, Zucchetti et al. 2001; Button and Taylor, 2000). Some
studies have focused on assessing these economic effects on individual
New Strategies in Italian Airports
3
countries (Bresciani and Ferraris, 2012; Kim, 2007, Cooper and Smith,
2005; Ossola, 1996).
With particular reference to airport management companies, strategic
behavior has been examined by several scholars (Bruni, 2004; Kleymann
and Seristo, 2004; Grant, 2002; Bronzetti, 2002), as have the companies’
business models (Rispoli, 1998). Several studies have analyzed the
development of the strategies adopted by low-cost carriers (Pellicelli 2008,
Falini, 2006 Binggeli and Pompeo, 2002). Other researchers have focused
on airport hub management (Button, 2004; Kahn, 1993; Doganis and
Dennis, 1989).
Our research combines several aspects contained in previous studies.
Thus, though we do not employ quantitative data, our chapter offers an
analysis of the impact of the worldwide deregulation of air transport on air
management companies and consequently on their business models and
strategies.
Research Methodology
This chapter presents a qualitative study (Myers, 2013) of the evolution of
the air traffic system. As mentioned in the introduction, there are three
research questions:
RQ 1: How extensively has the air transport sector changed over
the past few decades?
RQ 2: How have these changes influenced the Italian setting?
RQ 3: What effects has globalization had on air transport
companies, in terms of developing new strategies and business
models?
As regards RQ 1, the first paragraphs are mainly theoretical and explain
the background for our research. They deal with the sectors of air
transport, airport infrastructure and air management companies. The crux
of this question is addressed in the paragraphs about air transport
deregulation and how it has spread throughout the world.
RQ 2 and RQ 3 should be analyzed together. By considering the impact of
the new regulations, we focus on the advent of low-cost airlines and
consequently on the evolution of the business models adopted by air
management companies in Italy.
4
Chapter One
In addition, to assess the role of these new airlines, we concentrate on the
traffic data provided by ENAC, the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, and
on the respective market shares of the full-service and low-cost airlines
between 2005 and 2013.
As the graphs resulting from an analysis of these data emphasize, low-cost
airlines have been enormously successful. Consequently, it is necessary to
understand how a large number of air management companies decided to
change their business models to adapt to the market’s new competitive
balance and satisfy consumers’ new preferences.
This is why the chapter concludes with an analysis of the situation in Italy
in 2013, in terms of the number of airports which decided to base their
business on low-cost carriers. Specifically, we decided to select those with
a low-cost market share of over 35%.
Sectors of Air Transport
Air transport has undergone a major transformation in recent years (Ossola
and Giovando, 2012). Several sectors revolve around air transport. The
main ones are (Pellicelli, 1996):
– Passenger air transport,
– Passenger services,
– Services to airlines or to airport management companies,
– Airport management.
The Airport Infrastructure
In Italy, every airport is “licensed” to a company for management.
“The airport management company holds the exclusive right to manage the
airport, performing its instrumental activity in fulfilling the ‘human need’
in the economic field (Ferrero, 1987) of the airline, to have an adequate
and efficient structure to handle its aircraft and the passengers and cargo
carried by it” (Giovando, 2012).
The airport is considered as the infrastructure that enables an aircraft to
land or take off on a straight, level surface.
New Strategies in Italian Airports
5
In the definition of “airport” given by the EC Directive1, we understand
that there can be no separation of the land from the infrastructure for the
flight. The Directive states that the airport is “any area of land especially
adapted for the landing, taking-off and manoeuvres of aircraft, including
the ancillary installations which these operations may involve for the
requirements of aircraft traffic and services including the installations
needed to assist commercial air services”.
The airport company’s main objective is to allow carriers to transfer goods
and people using air routes from one place to another. Carriers thus have a
crucial role in the economy of an airport management enterprise (Ossola,
1996).
Carriers are aircraft owners or leaseholders who provide a commercial air
transport service to meet people’s mobility needs.
Carriers with their aircraft fly from one airport to another along routes.
These flights may be:
- “Scheduled”, i.e., flying on predetermined routes at a particular
time that is “scheduled” and published.
- “Unscheduled”, when the route is decided by the passenger, or
anyone else who chooses the airport and time. This type is used in
charter flights with travelers (or groups) who hire an aircraft.
The airport infrastructure can be divided into three areas (Giovando,
2012): landside, airside and terminal.
The landside area includes all the access routes to the airport. It provides
access to the services of the airport company. These services can be both
those of embarking and disembarking goods and passengers from the
aircraft. All the spaces surrounding the landside area, defined as
“commercial”, can be put to additional uses. Indeed, this exploitation of
the surrounding areas can lead to new lines of business for airport
management companies.
The airside area is reserved for aircraft. Its dimensions differ from country
to country, according to local law. In addition, people, baggage and cargo
must be screened in order to access this area, because it should be
protected. In fact, this area is commonly referred to as “secure”.
1
Council Directive 96/67/EC of 15 October 1996 on access to the groundhandling
market at Community airports, published in O.J. No. 272 of 25 October 1996.
6
Chapter One
The terminal includes the airport building. This structure is usually located
between the landside and airside area.
The building features (Giovando, 2012):
- An area where passengers arrive at the airport or stop while waiting
for a connecting flight.
- The departure area, where passengers and luggage are checked in,
documents are controlled, and where the x-ray machines for
security checks are located.
- The boarding area and waiting room, which are near the gate where
passengers embark and disembark.
- The passenger waiting area.
- The concourse area with shops, restaurants, lounges and toilets.
- The storage area, where freight or luggage in transit are received
and handled.
The airport has always been classified as a “natural monopoly” (Reed,
1994); first, because the business can satisfy market demand alone at the
lowest cost, and second, because there are high entrance barriers, such as
town planning and environmental restrictions (Sebastiani, 2009).
This view of airports as a natural monopoly has been expanded to include
the notion of essential facility2. A structure is defined as being an essential
facility when its characteristics make it essential to the community.
Several studies (Cavalieri, 2006) have led to the conclusion that in order to
qualify as an essential facility 3 , an infrastructure must satisfy certain
specific conditions, viz.:
- Dominance,
- Irreplaceability,
- Non-duplicability,
- Sharing by several operators.
When these conditions are attained, the legislature is required to regulate
access to the infrastructure for any applicant and should define a complex
2
CERTeT – Centro di Economia Regionale, dei Trasporti e del Turismo Università
Commerciale L. Bocconi. Il rapporto tra vettori ed aeroporti: analisi e valutazione
del sistema di regolazione in Italia – Final Report, June 2006, p. 11, note 5.
3
The legal basis of the doctrine of essential facilities is Section 1 of the Sherman
Act – the United States antitrust law – and Articles 81-82 of the EC Treaty.
New Strategies in Italian Airports
7
and varied system of prices that the companies apply to the final consumer
(Giovando, 2012).
As many studies have shown, enterprises normally grow up around
essential facilities (Graham, 1995). It has also been demonstrated that, as
an essential facility, the airport (Ossola, 2006):
- Allows rapid movement of people and cargo, and
- Contributes to the development of the economic area around it.
Moreover, the airport infrastructure generates benefits in terms of:
- Wealth creation,
- Job creation,
- Creation of international industrial districts.
The airport, with its activity, has a direct economic impact, represented by
the value of the activities of both carriers and airport management
companies.
In addition, there is an indirect economic impact, represented by the group
of activities performed outside the structure, which produce benefits for
travel agencies, hotels and restaurants. Lastly, there is also the induced
economic impact, represented by the spending of the revenues earned in
the categories mentioned above.
In fact, the airport can encourage industrial development of companies
operating in the area in which it stands. Through this development, simple
industrial districts in the local area can be extended through the creation of
international industrial clusters in areas far afield.
Companies operating near the airport can take advantage of a range of
benefits, such as (Ossola, 1996):
- Fast distribution of goods worldwide.
- Ease in procurement, which can make it possible to apply just-intime management techniques.
- Quick movements of people between companies located all over
the world.
- The ability to reach new markets.
The Process of Deregulation in Air Transport
Air transport has traditionally developed under the control of national
authorities. In Europe, this approach resulted in the monopoly of national
8
Chapter One
carriers and the ownership / management of public airports. International
air transport, based on bilateral agreements between states, has grown and
was long characterized by the rigid control of carrier ownership structure
and market access. This fragmentation in national markets and the absence
of effective competition was less and less in line with the rise in living
standards and the resulting increase in demand for air transport services.
From the mid-Seventies, civil aviation moved from a managed to a market
economy as economic and cultural exchanges led to an increase in
mobility, which boosted transport demand. This obliged countries to come
to grips with new demands.
The instrument that was used to deal with this problem was deregulation,
first adopted in the USA and then in Europe. This solution was intended to
improve supply and make it more flexible in its ability to meet the demand
for transport. In addition, deregulation led industrialized countries to
compete in offering good value-for-money solutions.
Deregulation in the USA
The liberalization process started in the United States in 1930, when the
need to regulate the market emerged in order to avoid forms of
competition that would bring negative results.
In 1938, however, the Civil Aeronautics Act (CAA) led to a price war,
which did not allow the creation of a free competitive market (Mencik von
Zebinsk A.A., 1995).
It was only with the Airlines Deregulation Act in 1978 that the US
government tried to bring down prices for the benefit of consumers, to
improve efficiency and encourage the creation of new businesses.
This initiated a second stage, which spurred the growth of the low-cost
carriers that first appeared in the Sixties.
These companies began to gain market share by offering lower costs than
mega national carriers.
Since 1984, traffic has increased, and carriers have begun to turn to
mergers and acquisitions as a means of avoiding bankruptcy proceedings,
as well as outright bankruptcy.
New Strategies in Italian Airports
9
This is when the hub and spoke system was born. It consists of using large
airports (hubs) as a clearinghouse for air traffic, from which routes
(spokes) branch to peripheral destinations.
During the Nineties, new low cost airlines were founded, such as Kiwi
Airlines, Western Pacific and Carnival Airlines.
Liberalization of Air Transport in Europe
Since 1957, when the European Economic Community was created, there
has been a need to establish a single market for air transport, to ensure
proper operation and to include certain third countries4.
But the liberalization process began only in 1986 with the signing of the
Single European Act in Paris, which delivered the first package, or Phase
1, implemented in 1987.
This group of laws eliminated the bilateral regime and enabled other
carriers, the so-called “non-flag carriers”, to enter the market (Zunarelli S.,
2008)5.
In 1989, the European Commission presented the Second Package of
regulations to the Council. This package came into force in 1990. With
Phase 2, airlines’ flexibility in fare setting was expanded. However, there
were no substantial changes in the air transport field.
The system was effectively deregulated with the introduction of the Third
Package in 1992. The goals to achieve with the Third Package were the
elimination of the bilateral system and the establishment of a multilateral
one, based on free market access and freedom in setting rates.
For cabotage, the Council of Transport Ministers of the EU had planned a
complete liberalization of traffic only from January 1997.
As for tariff plans, carriers were granted full authority to decide what fares
to charge. The EU institutions could interfere only when prices were either
too high or too low, resulting in dumping (selling below cost).
4
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Art. 100, paragraph 2.
EU Parliament (2013), Overview of the air services agreement concluded by the
EU.
5
10
Chapter One
The Third Package also established the requirements that air carriers must
meet to start or continue operations, in particular:
- They must be owned by Member States and/or citizens of Member
States that effectively control them, and their headquarters must be
located in a country belonging to the European Community.
- They must have a solid financial position and be adequately insured
against accidents.
- They must have the professional ability and organization to ensure
safety in operations, in accordance with current regulations. This
capacity is confirmed by a certificate.
Finally, in 1999, the Single European Sky initiative was launched 6 . It
aimed at increasing the efficiency of air traffic management and air
navigation services by reducing the fragmentation of European airspace.
In practice, the Single European Sky should reduce flight times (through
shorter paths and fewer delays) and, consequently, decrease the cost of
flights and aircraft emissions.
The effects of deregulation in America have been significant: traffic has
increased, rates have been significantly reduced and the number of
potential new competitors has grown rapidly. These effects have been less
pronounced in Europe, but the entry of new operators, whose objectives
and strategies differ from those of flag airlines, has changed the dynamics
of competition within the industry.
In Europe as well as in America, airport facilities have been seriously
undersized and saturated in recent times. Currently, the trend towards
liberalization has been reversed, as the smaller airlines are not able to
increase their networks of destinations, given the shortage of runways,
airport terminals and slots.
Liberalization of the Air Transport System in Italy
The Italian transport sector was long monopolized by the national carrier
Alitalia.
Forms of regional air transport were difficult to create. For many years, the
national airline’s position of market dominance and the concentration of
6
Regulation EC 549/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10
March 2004 laying down the framework for the creation of the single European sky.
New Strategies in Italian Airports
11
traffic at the airports in Rome and Milan limited penetration in new and
unexplored markets. Partly thanks to the advent of deregulation, the
country has seen the entry of new and aggressive competitors.
In the period from the early Sixties to the late Eighties, a new company
called Alisarda was founded: it carried streams of tourists to and from
Sardinia in the summer. Currently, the company is known by the name of
Meridiana. Another carrier operating at that time was ATI (Aero Trasporti
Italiani), a subsidiary of Alitalia, based in Naples. It covered domestic
routes between North and South Italy.
In 1987, the regional company Avianova was founded as a joint venture
between Alisarda and Alitalia. This alliance did not last, as Alisarda
backed out of the operation and Alitalia acquired full control. Avianova
began to serve the minor routes departing from airports in Milan and
Rome, focusing both on the distribution of traffic from these hubs and on
point-to-point connections on secondary routes that were not served by
other operators.
Despite the enforcement of the EEC First Package, Alitalia’s monopoly
lasted uninterrupted until the Nineties (Rossi Dal Pozzo, 2008; Alderighi
and Bacelli, 2006).
The table below shows the situation of the Italian air transport sector
before deregulation.
Table 1: Italian airlines before deregulation
Airline Companies
Alitalia
ATI
Alisarda – Meridiana
Aertirrenia
Avioligure
Aligiulia
Itavia
Alinord
Aliblu
Source: Calculated from data provided by ENAC – www.enac.gov.it
12
Chapter One
Table 2 shows the situation as of January 2015, indicating the national
airlines which are licensed to operate according to European JAR-OPS.
These companies are allowed to use aircraft with more than nineteen seats.
Companies whose licenses have been suspended are not shown.
Table 2: Italian airlines in 2015
Airline Companies
Air Dolomiti
Air Italy
Air Vallée
Alitalia Cityliner
Alitalia Società Aerea Italiana
Blue Panorama
C.A.I. First
C.A.I. Second
Meridiana Fly
Mistral Air
Neos
Source: Calculated from data provided by ENAC – www.enac.gov.it
As can be seen by comparing the two tables, deregulation in the air traffic
system has changed the country’s competitive scenario. One of the direct
effects is the increase in the number of Italian airline companies.
Consequently, this is one of the possible answers to the second research
question.
Airport Management Companies in Italy
In Italy, airports, including all buildings or installations for air navigation
services, are government property. These “essential facilities” are granted
in concession.
There are three types of concession in Italy:
- Total concession, where the operator coordinates the entire airport
and in return receives all revenues and airport charges.
- Partial concession, where the operator has the sole task of
managing and maintaining passenger and freight terminals, and in
return receives the revenues they generate.
New Strategies in Italian Airports
-
13
Direct concession, where the civil aviation administration
constructs and maintains the airport infrastructure, while the
airlines themselves usually take care of groundhandling.
In the past, the State granted total concessions to airport management
companies through individual ad hoc7 laws. As these laws were specific
for each company, concession durations differed.
The table below lists six companies operating airports under total
concessions, together with the term of the concession.
Table 3: Italian airports in total concession and the associated term of
concession
Airport management
Airport
Concession
companies
term
AdR S.p.a.
Roma Fiumicino
and Ciampino
Up to 2044
SEA S.p.a.
Milano Linate and
Malpensa
Up to 2041
SAVE S.p.a.
Venezia Tessera
Up to 2027
SAGAT
Torino Caselle
Up to 2035
Aeroporto di Genova S.p.a.
Genova
Up to 2020
SACBO S.p.a.
Bergamo
Up to 2042
Source: Data provided by Assaeroporti – “Regime giuridico dei principali
aeroporti italiani” – www.assaeroporti.com
Current legislation8 has also extended total concession to other companies
that meet certain requirements. Under the new rules, airport companies are
allowed to manage the airport for forty years, after which time, the assets
under concession revert to ENAC ownership. In order to receive such a
7
Genova Sestri by Law 156/54 Art. 9; Milano-Linate and Malpensa by Law
194/62; Torino-Caselle by Law 914/65 Art. 1; Roma-Fiumicino and Ciampino by
Law 755/73 Articles 1 and 2; Bergamo-Orio al Serio by Law 746/75; VeneziaTessera by Law 938/86.
8
Law 537/94. Legislative Decree 251/95, converted into Law 351/95, and
Ministerial Decree 521/97 (Regulation).
14
Chapter One
concession, the current legislation requires the operator to enter into
program contracts and agreements with the Civil Aviation Authority9.
Table 4 lists the airports for which a total concession was granted under
the new legislation10, together the concession’s term, which varies from
case to case depending on the date it was originally granted.
Table 4: Italian airports under management and total duration of the
concession
Airport management
Airport
Concession term
companies
Bari
Up to 2043
SEAP S.p.a.
SEAP S.p.a.
Brindisi
Up to 2043
SEAP S.p.a.
Foggia
Up to 2043
SEAP S.p.a.
Taranto
Up to 2043
GESAC S.p.a.
Napoli
Up to 2043
AdF S.p.a
Firenze
Up to 2043
GEASAR S.p.a
Olbia
Up to 2044
SAB S.p.a.
Bologna
Up to 2044
SAT S.p.a.
Pisa
Up to 2044
SOGAER S.p.a.
Cagliari
Up to 2047
SAC S.p.a
Catania
Up to 2047
GESAP S.p.a
Palermo
Up to 2047
Aeroporto FVG S.p.a
Ronchi dei
Legionari
Up to 2047
SOGEAAL S.p.a.
Alghero
Up to 2047
Source: Data provided by Assaeroporti – “Regime giuridico dei principali
aeroporti italiani” – www.assaeroporti.com
There are thus fourteen Italian airports managed under total concessions,
with terms that vary from airport to airport, according to when they were
granted and the law concerned.
9
Ministerial Decree 521/97, Art. 7, indent 3.
Ministerial Decree 521/1997.
10
New Strategies in Italian Airports
15
The Effects of the Liberalization of Italian Air Transport:
the Rise of Low-Cost Airlines
The introduction and implementation of European regulatory packages
gradually replaced the previous regulatory regimes that protected the
national airlines of each country, with effects that appeared in particular in
the Noughties (Arrigo and Giuricin, 2006; Pellicelli, 1998).
In the Nineties, the effects of European legislation on liberalization were
limited and competition was very modest.
Since the early years of the 21st century, this phenomenon has made itself
felt mainly through the rise of low-cost airlines.
This type of company has developed thanks to certain characteristics
which have provided competitive advantages in terms of cost and price.
The most notable features can be summarized as follows (Cinosi and
Rizzo, 2013):
- Low-cost companies base their organization on “point-to-point”
links between secondary airports.
- They use the Internet as the main channel for distributing and
marketing tickets.
- They use aircraft with high seating density.
- There is a high level of aircraft utilization and standardization.
- No catering services are provided on board.
- Personnel management aims to maximize motivation, and forms of
incentives-based compensation are preferred.
These features have allowed low-cost carriers to increase efficiency and
reduce costs. They have thus been able to lower prices by developing a
business model that allows passengers to save money by eliminating all of
the services offered by traditional operators.
In Italy, this development has been under way since 2005, the first year in
which ENAC published statistical data on the market shares of low-cost
carriers compared with those of full-service carriers.
First, it is necessary to understand if deregulation has affected the number
of passengers. For this analysis, we used traffic data provided by ENAC
between 2005 and 2013. The trends that we have found are shown in
Graph 1.
16
Chapter One
Graph 1: Air traffic trends between 2005 and 2013
Air traffic trends
1.60E+08
1.40E+08
1.20E+08
Low cost
carriers
Passengers
1.00E+08
Full
service
carriers
Total
8.00E+07
6.00E+07
4.00E+07
2.00E+07
0.00E+00
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Years
Source: Calculated from data provided by ENAC between 2005 and 2013 –
www.enac.gov.it
As can be seen from the graph, the total number of passengers has
increased, despite a slight decline in 2009. This growth is related to the
rise in the market of low-cost carriers. Thanks to the policy mentioned
above, these airlines were able to lower their ticket prices and attract more
and more consumers.
By contrast, full-service carriers were adversely affected by market
liberalization, despite the fact that larger numbers of passengers used their
services than those of their competitors.
It is thus useful to analyze how the market changed with the entry of new
competitors such as low-cost airline companies, as shown in the following
graph.
New Strategies in Italian Airports
17
Graph 2: Low-cost and full-service airline market share between 2005 and
2013
Low-cost vs. full-service carrier market share
90.00%
80.00%
% market share
70.00%
60.00%
Low
cost
carriers
Full
service
carriers
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Years
Source: Calculated from data provided by ENAC between 2005 and 2013 –
www.enac.gov.it
Graph 2 shows trends in the market share held by flag carriers and by new
players. As the graph makes clear, the former lost competitiveness over
time. Their market share dropped from over 80% to 60%, while many lowcost airlines grew significantly compared to the competitors who had
dominated the market in 2005.
This fact testifies to the Italian airline industry’s passage from a managed
economy to a market economy, as it went from a condition of monopoly to
free competition. This phenomenon has had an impact on the airport
system.
As mentioned above, low-cost airlines based their business strategy on
point-to-point links, allowing the development of secondary airports.
18
Chapter One
The National Airport Plan drawn up by the Civil Aviation Authority in
February 2012 emphasizes the importance of service airports11. This led to
a reduction in airport charges, allowing these low-cost companies to
pursue cost leadership strategies (Cotta Ramusino and Onetti, 2009;
Ferrucci, 2002).
Through this development, the airport system tried to solve the problem of
traffic congestion. The use of service airports made it possible to increase
the number of flights, so that the infrastructures were able to satisfy
consumer demand.
Several benefits of the airport infrastructure should also be stressed. For
instance, the increase in the number of passengers led to the growth of a
variety of economic activities closely related to aviation services, such as
handling, catering and commercial services, parking and car rentals, as
well as businesses in the area surrounding the airport.
Consequently, the airport infrastructure has gradually changed its business
model over the past few years in order to attract low-cost airlines,
leveraging their potential for growth.
Until the early years of the 21st century, the prevailing idea was that of the
so-called main hub airport model, such as Roma Fiumicino and Milano
Linate. Such a model is not compatible with the new players in the
aviation market, as it relies on national airlines and has also reached a
certain maturity.
Later, airports such as Milano Malpensa moved towards a model, called a
multiservice hub, which opened the market to low-cost carriers,
encouraging the development of non-aviation activities in order to take
advantage of further opportunities for the structure.
11
The ENAC National Plan groups airports into principal and service airports.
The former are divided into strategic (including intercontinental hubs) and primary
airports.
There are three intercontinental airports: Milano Malpensa, Roma Fiumicino and
Venezia Tessera.
The strategic airports include Bari, Bergamo, Bologna, Cagliari, Catania, Firenze,
Genova, Lamezia Terme, Milano Linate, Napoli, Palermo, Pisa and Torino.
The primary airports are Alghero, Brindisi, Roma Ciampino, Olbia, Trapani,
Treviso, Trieste and Verona.
New Strategies in Italian Airports
19
Lastly, we come to the advanced spoke model, prevalent in regional or
tourist airports, such as Pisa and Trapani. This particular business model is
focused exclusively on low-cost airlines and on the growth opportunities
afforded by marketing strategies for non-aviation activities.
The table below shows which Italian airports based their business
primarily on low-cost airlines in 2013.
Table 3: Principal airports which benefited from low-cost carriers in
2013
AIRPORTS
LCC market share
Alghero
Ancona
Bari
Bergamo
Bologna
Brindisi
Cagliari
Comiso
Cuneo
Elba
Forlì
Lamezia Terme
Milano Malpensa
Perugia
Pescara
Pisa
Roma Ciampino
Trapani
Treviso
Trieste
69.90%
72.50%
62.50%
90.70%
47.90%
65.70%
55.60%
93.60%
78.90%
75.60%
98.90%
52.60%
44.20%
96.00%
87.20%
80.60%
99.30%
93.30%
93.30%
38.40%
Source: Our calculations from low-cost traffic trends in 2013 provided by ENAC –
www.enac.gov.it
20
Chapter One
We selected airports where low-cost airlines account for more than 35% of
the total passenger market and we extracted a sample, emphasizing the
growing importance that airports assign to these new companies.
It should also be noted that some airports, such as Comiso, were set up
solely in order to base their business on low-cost airlines, while others,
such as Cuneo and Milano Malpensa, changed their business models.
This analysis shows how globalization has profoundly influenced our
country and an industry that is constantly expanding and growing, despite
the global economic crisis.
Conclusion
This qualitative study emphasizes how the airport system has changed
thanks to the liberalization of air transport, which has led to the
development of new business models (Mangia, 2006; Mercurio and Testa,
2000; Baker, 1992). Air management companies have shown and continue
to show their ability to adapt to the needs of consumers, who are
increasingly attentive to the services that the airport infrastructure offers.
Indeed, the market has changed with the entry of new competitors such as
low-cost airline companies, which have shown strong growth over the past
few years because they were able to meet their customers’ needs. They
thus adopted a business model which attracted more and more consumers.
As stated in the manuals of business economics, the airline industry is so
prosperous because airport management companies have found ways to
provide goods and services which can satisfy all stakeholders with a
smoothly organized system.
As mentioned in the introduction, this study is the first step towards a far
deeper analysis that should also involve quantitative data.
For example, qualitative considerations stemming from this study can be
combined with a financial analysis of the overall performance of fullservice and low-cost airlines to quantify the value created by both groups.
In addition, this type of analysis can be extended to the airport system in
different countries to assess the impact of deregulation and its effects.
New Strategies in Italian Airports
21
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CHAPTER TWO
THE BUSINESS OF LUXURY BRANDS:
LUXURY CAR BRAND RELATIONSHIP
ELISA GIACOSA, FRANCESCA CULASSO
AND SANDRA MARIA CORREIA LOUREIRO
Introduction
Luxury businesses represent an important market in several countries, such
as Italy and France. For this reason, it is interesting to focus on this sector,
looking at the many different company business models.
An analysis of luxury may reach two different interpretations: elitist
connotations of luxury where the phenomenon is directed at specific
individual targets; and luxury as a social value and a manifestation of the
individual within the community.
The focus of this chapter is to provide scientific evidence of luxury
businesses operating in a competitive global market, leading to further
research opportunities within the involved companies. The aims of this
chapter are to: (i) provide an overview of luxury brand businesses based
on previous studies and secondary data; (ii) report on a study of the luxury
car sector, which is a first attempt to explore how luxury values impact on
brand relationships, using primary data gathered from owners and users of
luxury cars.
The main motivation for this study is related to seeing profound recent
changes in luxury businesses. Firstly, a sort of democratisation of luxury is
coming, leading to an increase in the target audience. Secondly, new
markets (such as Russia, India and China) represent additional business
opportunities for companies. Therefore, exploring this topic has become
26
Chapter Two
very interesting, providing opportunities to understand business prospects
for luxury goods companies.
The chapter is structured as follows; first we present an overview of the
luxury brand and its business characteristics. Then we present an
exploratory study about how luxury values impact on car brand
relationships. The exploratory study is composed of the background and
hypotheses proposed, the method, and the findings. At the end of the
chapter we set out the overall conclusions and implications.
Overview of the Business of Luxury Brands
To reach the research objective, it was necessary to establish the context
for luxury businesses, using various previous studies. For a better
understanding of luxury business, the different interpretations of the term
“luxury” must be defined. For this investigation, we used a dual
interpretation of luxury (Casaburi, 2011; Catry, 2003; Giacosa, 2012;
Fionda and Moore, 2009; Lipovetsky and Roux, 2003; Mason, 2001;
O’Cass and Frost, 2002; Truong, Simmons, McColl and Kitchen, 2008;
Tsai, 2005; Vickers and F. Renand, 2003):
Firstly, the elitist connotations of luxury. In this sense, it is
considered a phenomenon directed at specific individuals with high
financial potential: they perceive those items of clothing and
accessories as status symbols in terms of their intrinsic quality,
price, rarity and creative content. More precisely, luxury businesses
will later be divided into non-affordable luxury and affordable
luxury, since the target audience changes depending on the
financial potential of its members;
Secondly, luxury has a social value, as it is a manifestation of the
individual within the community. Possession of a luxury product
leads to certain individual benefits (Vigneron and Johnson, 1999;
Vigneron and Johnson, 2004): it expresses the extent to which one
belongs to a certain social class, it symbolises the attainment of
status, and it generates a trend effect due to imitation by individuals
who do not yet possess that object (Bearden, Netemeyer and Teel,
1989; Burnkrant and Cousineau, 1975; Deutsch and Gerard, 1955;
Kapferer and Bastien, 2009; Kapferer and Bastien, 2012; Kelman,
1961; McGuire, 1968). The social value of luxury thus contributes
to differentiating the individual from the masses, creating a sort of
“snob effect” (individuals often act in self-interested and, arguably,
unethical ways). In addition, it expresses membership of a
The Business of Luxury Brands
27
particular social class with a sort of “bandwagon effect”, and the
hedonism and perfectionism that stems from having good taste
(Chua and Zou, 2009; Dubois and Duquesne, 1993; Leibenstein,
1950; Vickers and Renand, 2003). It is the brand that gives them a
particular social value. This sometimes leads to a conflict between
the economic sphere and the symbolic one (Bordieu, 1977;
Carcano, Corbetta and Minichilli, 2011; Schwimmer, 1972), where
the economic sphere is related to the functionality of the product
and is simpler to define and measure, while the symbolic is highly
subjective and difficult to govern. The social value of luxury
justifies some business communication decisions, whereby
companies are driven to invest thousands and thousands of Euros in
a fashion show in order to get a return in terms of symbolic capital,
through increased visibility and exposure for their brand.
The definition of luxury business would not be complete without
specifying the type of sectors in which the companies could operate
(Chevalier and Mazzalovo, 2008; Corbellini and Saviolo, 2009; Giacosa,
2012; Jackson, 2004; Bresciani et al., 2015):
a) Core luxury sectors: these are traditional luxury sectors, such as:
• Clothing: the luxury clothing offering is based on different
commercial choices characterised by a high level of creativity in
terms of models, designs and choice of materials. Firstly there is
the non-affordable luxury of haute couture, which developed in
nineteenth-century Paris. Hand-crafted by designers, commissioned
by private customers and involving a small group of around two
thousand customers across the world (Armani Haute Couture,
Chanel, Dior and others); next comes the intermediate luxury of
demi-couture (Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, Stefano Pilati when he
was working for Yves Saint Laurent and Oscar de la Renta),
handmade and much less expensive than haute couture (up to ten
times so) and dedicated to a high-end clientele who demand limited
models that can be shown off as rare (often only one item is
available per boutique); behind these comes the most affordable
luxuries in the form of prêt-à-porter brands marketed selectively
and promoted through large advertising investments (such as prêtà-porter collection of Armani, Versace, Gucci, Prada),
characterised by high but more affordable prices, more exclusive
style content, tailoring (although articles are not unique as is the
case with haute couture), whose target is both men and women who
are affluent consumers with a strong love of fashion;
Chapter Two
28
•
•
Accessories: like clothing, consumers use accessories to adorn their
bodies and demonstrate their status and social rank. Bags, leather
goods, shoes, belts, eyewear, ties, lighters, pens all have fashion
status and become objects that create trends in their own right.
Thanks to a differentiation in price, the market offers nonaffordable accessories (often in limited editions) and objects that
are more affordable, which cater to those customers who are taking
their first steps in the world of luxury, often with occasional
purchases and who could not afford a more expensive item. This
price differentiation, which has closed the gap between consumer
desires and needs, has created growing revenues, today accounting
for a major share of total turnover for fashion labels. This is also
helped by the fact that the price of an accessory is much lower than
that of an item of clothing and hence, the target audience is wider.
Brands of international renown such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci,
Hermès and Burberry are the most representative of the sector. This
sector is also seen in the massive presence of products in the
parallel counterfeit market (Cappellari, 2008; Eisend and
Schuchert-Güler, 2006; Grossman and Shapiro, 1988; Hoe, Hogg
and Hart, 2003; Nia and Zaichkowsky, 2002; Trinh and Phau,
2012; Wall and Large, 2010; Wilcox, Kim and Sen, 2009). There
is a directly proportionate relationship between the desirability of
an object and the supply of counterfeit goods, which sees the Louis
Vuitton Speedy, Gucci handbags and wallets and Burberry belts as
the most counterfeited articles. Luxury brands, especially luxury
accessories, are particularly prone to being counterfeited because
they are very popular with consumers. Progress in production
techniques makes it possible to replicate whole ranges of original
products (complete with their characteristic colours and design,
packaging, labelling and trademarks) for which there is a demand,
thus meaning prices are a mere fraction of the original (Ang,
Cheng, Lim and Tambyah, 2001; Chow, 2000; Gentry, Putrevu and
Shultz II, 2006; Phau, Teah and Lee, 2009; Shultz II and Soporito,
1996; Teah and Phau, 2009). The result is that counterfeit goods
have become an alternative to the original products;
Jewellery and watches: the most creatively designed jewellery and
watches are sold in highly select boutiques. This sector is
dominated by large groups with a historic presence, such as
Richemont, which owns historic brands such as Cartier, Rolex and
Tiffany, and other companies within the affordable luxury
category, like Damiani, Vacheron Constantin and Pateck Philippe.
The Business of Luxury Brands
•
•
29
Despite the crisis that has affected this industry since the 2000s, the
emerging markets have driven sales and assisted recovery;
Perfumes and cosmetics: in order to extend their reach into the
market, labels have also expanded their product ranges to include
perfumes and cosmetics, differentiating their offer according to the
target audience. Alongside the non-affordable luxuries of some
highly exclusive, expensive brands distributed selectively by Carita
Paris and Sisley, we find the affordable luxuries of other brands,
which are easily recognisable and highly desirable, such as Chanel,
Dior, Gucci, Prada, Armani and others. Operationally labels have
adopted licence agreements, which have enabled the global spread
of their brands in this category, even in different product categories
than the products originally associated with them (such as Chanel
clothing, watches, perfumes and cosmetics), through a distribution
network that is extensive for affordable luxuries and more
exclusive for non-affordable luxuries. As with accessories,
turnover from this sector accounts for a significant portion of total
luxury goods sales for the companies concerned;
Cars: Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Bentley,
Maserati and Porsche are the most striking examples in the luxury
car industry, where brands are positioned and distributed
exclusively, quality and technology justify differences in price and
there is a distinction between affordable and non-affordable luxury;
b) New luxury sectors: in addition to the core luxury sectors, a number of
sectors have begun to enter the luxury market, expanding their
horizons of commercial opportunities to draw closer to the world of
luxury. Among these are the following areas:
• Wines, spirits and other gourmet products: the food and wine sector
is the new emerging luxury market, often involving companies
which generate a limited volume of sales (for example Roederer
Chistal or Dom Perignon champagne). Connoisseurs of refined
products buy chic commodities in specialist shops, paying high
prices that are considered justifiable because of the high quality of
the products. Although some products are sold in non-selective
shops and stores (or even in some supermarket chains), their high
prices make them luxury items. In such cases, it is price that
bestows status on the luxury item (and not the chosen distribution
venue). In the last decade, natural food has moved into the sector,
with zero-miles foods linked to tradition, free of harmful
ingredients, fat, salt and sugar, minimally processed, ambassadors
Chapter Two
30
•
•
of unique values and with strong links to local regions when it
comes to niche, rather than international, brands. When the brand
has an international reach on the other hand, chic commodities are
able to attract the attention of customers worldwide, who are highly
informed and eager to satisfy all their senses with high quality
products, with packaging that uses innovative materials to keep
food safe and preferably fresh;
Tourism and catering: luxury hotels, ultra-comfortable flights,
cruises, private yachts and cultural trips are the new frontier in
luxury, where tourism and catering products are enhanced by the
combination of quality and creativity. Companies have different
price points, ranging from the non-affordable luxury of the AzimutBenetti and Ferretti Groups in yachting, with the creation of
exorbitantly priced private super-luxury yachts and the superluxury hotels of Armani, Versace, Ferragamo and Bulgari.
Affordable luxury is offered by tour operators and restaurants all
over the world, all the way to seven-stars hotels with outstanding
quality and comfort in rooms and service;
Furniture and household items: Versace, Armani, Blumarine, Fendi
are just some of the names offering loyal customers the opportunity
to enjoy an all-round brand experience. Customers can decorate
their homes with interiors and household items whose style and
creative content reflect the essential features of the brand.
In relation to the affordability of a brand, it’s possible to separate different
types of luxury into several categories, and this classification is useful to
better define the luxury car industry (Chevalier and Mazzalovo, 2008;
Chevalier and Mazzalovo, 2011; Giacosa, 2012; Okonkwo, 2007):
Non-affordable luxury: a non-affordable price (Bruce and Hines,
2007; Kapferer, 2004) is justified by high quality and creativity.
This luxury gives a high status to the consumer, as these
characteristics make a brand unique in the eyes of the consumers
(Dubois and Duquesne, 1993; Giacosa, 2012; Phau and
Prendergast, 2000; Vigneron and Johnson, 2004; Wiedmann,
Hennings and Siebels, 2007). Non-affordable products are
characterized by limited editions or one-off pieces, handmade or
semi-handcrafted. The Hermès Kelly, Ferrari Testarossa, Moët &
Chandon are some examples: when the consumer chooses it, he is
not only buying an item but is entering into the legendary world of
these brands, which means elegance, sophistication and style. The
limited availability of items increases desirability and ensures
The Business of Luxury Brands
31
accurate production levels;
Affordable luxury: it represents a luxury directed at the middle
classes who are attracted by luxury goods but are not particularly
affluent (Dubois, Laurent and Czellar, 2005; Giacosa, 2011;
Giacosa, 2012; Peterson and Kern, 1996; Silverstein and Fiske,
2003a, 2003b; Thomas, 2007; Yeoman, 2011). The price is more
affordable, creating a sort of democratisation of luxury, increasing
its accessibility (Wetlaufer, 2001; Wiedmann, Hennigs and Siebels,
2007).
There is competition between companies operating in different sectors to
attract consumers: this is due to the fact that consumers are unable to buy
everything and ultimately have to make a choice (Bresciani et al., 2014
and 2015; Amatulli and Guido, 2011; Ferrero, 1987; Husic and Cicic,
2009; Mosca, 2010), sort of “trading up” (Silverstein and Fiske, 2003b). In
terms of price, the lower price is more affordable and is frequently
involved in seasonal sales: consumers go on a kind of treasure hunt, taking
advantage of incredible opportunities (Cappellari, 2008; Tartaglia and
Marinozzi, 2006). The availability of items increases; where once we had
boutiques and exclusive shops, now there are added outlets (Okonkwo,
2007 and 2010) and franchises, unlike non-affordable luxury, which is
sold in exclusive stores. It emerged that the targets are varied: habitual
consumers and day trippers (Dubois and Laurent, 1995).
Many companies operate in both the affordable and the non-affordable
luxury markets. For example, Versace operates in the non-affordable
luxury sector of haute couture (which represents its core business), but
also in the affordable luxury sector, thanks to Versus jeans which are part
of a popular pret-à-porter collection. Affordable luxury creates
opportunities for increasing revenues, and represents 98% of the business
created from luxury.
Exploring how Luxury Values
impact on Car Brand Relationship
Ricca (2014), Managing Director at Interbrand in their article “To Know
What’s Next, Look to the Stars” alludes to the concept that luxury
transcends the borders of any goods or service category. A luxury brand
represents a relationship based on extremes, provides a sense of
uncompromising pursuit and promises a state of conscious fulfilment.
Luxury brands often point to the signs of tomorrow’s trends.
32
Chapter Two
Luxury brands create experiences and stimulate consumer desires. Pine
and Gilmore (1998, p. 98) mention that an experience occurs “when a
company intentionally uses services as the stage, and goods as props, to
engage with individual customers in a way that creates a memorable
event”. Brand experience, which is created in response to stimuli related to
the brand, may be conceptualized as individual and shared experiences.
Individual experiences comprise sensing (aesthetics and sensory qualities),
feeling (including moods and emotions) and thinking (convergent/
analytical and divergent/imaginative thinking). By contrast, acting (motor
actions and behavioural experiences) and relating (social experiences, such
as relating to a reference group) are considered as shared experiences
(Schmitt, 1999). Luxury brands provide immersive experiences that are
staged with theatricality and consistency. Luxury brands realize that
anonymity or privacy is particularly important for high-profile customers,
as it shields them from continuous recognition and exposure, especially in
the luxury car industry. Therefore, gaining access to luxury car owners in
order to capture their perceptions isn’t an easy task.
The psychological value of luxury goods seems to be crucial in
differentiating luxuries from commodities or counterfeits (Nia &
Zaichkowsky, 2000). According to de Barnier et al. (2006) luxury
consumers have a common need for values such as aesthetics, quality,
product personal history and expensiveness. However, how do luxury
values, as perceived by customers, influence brand relationships?
The consumer-brand relationship has been increasing in importance for
researchers and brand managers. Understanding how consumers of luxury
brands connect and relate to those luxury brands helps to create favourable
experiences and establish long-term relationships. In this chapter we
intend to contribute to the understanding of this phenomenon through an
empirical study of luxury car owners who participate in luxury brand
communities. In this study we look at car owners of brands considered
representative of luxury car segments E, F and S, according to European
Commission (1999), such as: BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus,
Porsche, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, and Ferrari. A luxury car is a stylish,
high quality, luxurious automobile intended for the comfort and pleasure
of its owner that is affordable only for the high income group. Luxury cars
are unique and distinctive within the market in terms of brand, price, the
number of extra accessories, engineering requirements, performance,
technology and available options (Anurit, 2002).
The Business of Luxury Brands
33
Consumer Luxury Values
In order to understand the nature and drivers of consumer luxury values, it
is necessary to come to a definition of luxury brands. However, as luxury
is a subjective and multidimensional construct, defining luxury brands is
not an easy task and must follow an integrative approach (Wiedmann,
Hennigs, & Siebels, 2009). Luxury brands are usually linked with brands
of limited supply, high price, excellent quality, aesthetic beauty, rarity and
exclusivity (Choo et al., 2012). Since they are related to objects of desire,
luxury brands provide extra pleasure, being able to satisfy both the
psychological and the functional needs of their owners (Vigneron &
Johnson, 1999). Therefore, the strategic mission of luxury brands is built
on the premise that they represent enough value to both the individual and
significant others to justify the high product price.
The customer value of a luxury brand has been conceptualized by previous
studies (e.g., Vigneron & Johnson, 1999; Smith & Colgate, 2007; Tynan et
al., 2009; Wiedmann et al., 2009; Christodoulides et al., 2009; Choo et al.,
2012). The question of what effectively adds luxury value to the consumer’s
perception of the brand was defined based on a hierarchical and
multidimensional model that accommodates financial, functional, individual,
and social aspects (Wiedmann et al., 2009). The financial dimension of
luxury value encompasses both monetary elements such as price and what
consumers sacrificed to benefit from the brand. In the present study only
consumers who were part of a high income group that joined brand
communities were targeted, thus the financial dimension was not considered.
The functional dimension of luxury value refers to the core product benefits
and utilities given by the brand to the consumer. Value includes usability,
uniqueness, quality, reliability, and durability. The individual dimension
addresses personal attitudes toward luxury consumption such as hedonism,
materialism and self-identity. The social dimension focuses on the perceived
utility consumers obtain from owning brands valued within their social
groups such as conspicuousness and prestige.
Brand Tribalism and Brand Reputation
Brand tribalism is a relatively new concept, introduced by Cova and Cova
(2002), that identifies a community of self-selected individuals formed on
the basis of an emotional attachment to a product or a brand. Brand
communities have become an increasingly important phenomenon in
contemporary marketing (Muniz & O’Guinn, 2001). They were clearly
stimulated by the emergence of Web 2.0 that provided an innovative
34
Chapter Two
technological toolset for the coalescence of communities around brands
(Cova & White, 2010). Brand communities are formed by individuals that
share values, standards, representations, emotional links with the brand and
a sense of belonging and obligation towards the community as a whole.
Brand communities allow customers to share experiences about brands
and influence other group members (Swaminathan et al., 2007), revising
the power of word-of-mouth communications (Pawle & Cooper, 2006).
Veloutsou and Moutinho (2009) concluded that brand tribalism is an
important predictor of the strength of brand relationships. Therefore, we
postulate that when consumers of luxury brands identify themselves with
the brands, feel pleasure acquiring and using the products, believe that the
brand gives them prestige and perceive the usability and the uniqueness of
such products (luxury values), then the same consumers will be more
engaged in participating in communities of self-selected members
emotionally attached to a brand (tribes).
Brands with good reputations fulfil their stated promises and marketing
signals. Therefore, they are likely to succeed in the market by attracting
more customers. However, developing brand reputation requires more than
just meeting customer expectations. It is linked to the aggregate perception
of various audiences towards the brand (Herbig & Milewicz, 1993). Brand
reputation should be managed during the brand’s lifetime and cannot be
changed in the short term. De Chernatony (1999) points out the importance
of the congruence between brand identity, understanding key beliefs and the
brand’s core values (Kapferer, 2008), and brand reputation. Thereby, luxury
values should positively influence the reputation of a luxury brand. Based on
the above discussions, the following hypotheses were proposed:
H1: Luxury values, social (H1a), individual (H1b) and functional (H1c),
have positive impact on brand tribalism.
H2: Luxury values, social (H1a), individual (H1b) and functional (H1c),
have positive impact on brand reputation
Brand Relationship
Developing and nurturing customer/brand relationships has become a
central issue in both marketing research and practice (Aaker, Fournier, &
Brasel, 2004), due to its strong influence on customer retention and
profitability. Consumers develop relationships with brands based on brand
characteristics and their own perceptions, experiences and behaviours.
The Business of Luxury Brands
35
Relationship marketing is a long-term process based on the concepts of
connection and interaction between the active consumers and the brand. In
this vein, a brand can be treated as an active contributing partner in a
dyadic relationship that exists between the person and the brand (Aaker &
Fournier, 1995). Schultz and Schultz (2004) maintained that brand
relationships could be viewed as financial, physical or emotional bonds
that bring brands and the customer together. Accordingly, the emotional
exchange is recognized as an important measure of the strength of
customers’ attachment to a brand (Aaker et al., 2004).
Veloutsou and Moutinho (2009) included the emotional outcomes of the
transactions that occur during the lifetime of a brand emotional exchange
as a dimension of brand relationships and analysed the influence of the
overall perceptions of the brands in the form of their reputation and the
social influence they experience in terms of brand tribes as drivers of
brand relationships. The good/service perceptions and its overall
reputation could influence the quality of consumer relationship (StuartMenteth et al., 2006). Furthermore, the role of luxury brands as
relationship builders is now acknowledged (Cailleux, Mignot, & Kapferer,
2009) and luxury brand managers are aware of the importance of the
customer-brand relationship. Based on the reported research and above
considerations, it is expected that beliefs about luxury values by customers
can influence brand relationships through brand tribalism and brand
reputation. Thus,
H3: Brand tribalism has a positive impact on the brand relationship.
H4: Brand reputation has a positive impact on the brand relationship.
Method
We said that the purposes of this chapter are to: (i) provide an overview of
luxury brand businesses based on previous studies and secondary data; (ii)
report on a study of the luxury car sector, which is a first attempt to
explore how luxury values impact upon the brand relationship, using
primary data gathered from the owners and users of luxury cars.
Based on the above discussions about brand tribalism and brand
reputation, the following hypotheses are proposed:
H1: Luxury values, social (H1a), individual (H1b) and functional (H1c),
have a positive impact on brand tribalism;
36
Chapter Two
H2: Luxury values, social (H1a), individual (H1b) and functional (H1c),
have a positive impact on brand reputation.
Based on the reported research and the above considerations about brand
relationships, it is expected that customer beliefs about luxury values can
influence brand relationships through brand tribalism and brand
reputation. Thus, the following hypotheses are proposed:
H3: Brand tribalism has a positive impact on the brand relationship.
H4: Brand reputation has a positive impact on the brand relationship.
To test these hypotheses, a questionnaire was created regarding the items
of the constructs with a section for socio-demographic variables. The
questionnaire was first written in English and then translated into
Portuguese. Back-translation was then used to ensure that the
questionnaire communicated similar information to all respondents
(Sekaran, 1983). The questionnaire was then pre-tested by 10 individuals,
managers and some members of the car brand communities. Then, the
members of the communities were invited to participate using an online
survey, during the period of February to March 2013.
We measured the constructs with multi-item scales. Luxury values were
assessed using a scale presented by Wiedmann et al. (2009). Brand tribalism
and brand relationships were measured based on Veloutsou & Moutinho
(2009). Finally, brand reputation (corporate) was adapted from Loureiro &
Kastenholz (2011). All items were measured by using a five-point Likerttype scale. At the time the survey started, a total of ten thousand members
were registered. We received 201 responses. Of the overall participants from
8 car brand communities (Portuguese and UK), 82.4% are male which is
representational of the total members of the communities contacted. Almost
80% (79.2%) range from 31 to 50 years of age.
Findings
PLS (Partial Least Squares) was employed to treat data, using the repeated
indicators method (Chin, Marcolin & Newsted, 2003; Kleijnen, de Rutyer
& Wetzel, 2007). PLS is based on an iterative combination of principal
component analysis and regression to explain the variance of the
constructs in the model (Chin, 1998). PLS enabled the researchers to avoid
biased and inconsistent parameter estimates, and is an effective analytical
tool to test interactions by reducing Type II errors and allowing analysis
The Business of Luxury Brands
37
using a small sample (Chin et al., 2003). PLS makes lower demands on
measurement scales, sample size and residual distributions (Wold, 1985).
In addition, PLS avoids inadmissible solutions and factor indeterminacy
(Fornell & Bookstein, 1982). PLS algorithm minimizes the variance of all
the dependent variables instead of explaining the co-variation and so the
manifest variables do not have to follow normal distribution, in other
words, there are no assumptions regarding the distributional form of
manifest variables (Chin, 1998).
The PLS model is analysed and interpreted in two stages. First by the
adequacy of the measurements, and then by the structural model. Item
reliability was established by examining the loading of the measures on
their corresponding construct. All items with loadings have values above
0.707, which indicates that more than 50% of the variance in the observed
variable is explained by the construct (Carmines & Zeller, 1979; Hulland,
1999). Composite reliability was used to analyse the reliability of the
constructs since it has been considered to be a more accurate measurement
than Cronbach’s alpha (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). Table 1 shows that all
constructs are reliable since the composite reliability values exceeded the
0.7 threshold and even the strictest one of 0.8 (Nunnally, 1978).
The measures demonstrated convergent validity as the average variance of
manifest variables extracted by constructs (AVE) was at least 0.5, indicating
that more variance was explained than unexplained in the variables
associated with a given construct. The criterion used to assess discriminant
validity was proposed by Fornell and Larcker (1981), suggesting that the
square root of AVE should be higher than the correlation between the two
constructs in the model. This criterion was met.
Table 1. Measurement Results.
Variables
Mean AVE Composite Reliability Cronbach Alpha
Uniqueness value
4.6 0.770
0.930
0.900
Usability value
4.4 0.904
0.966
0.947
B. relationship
4.5 0.719
0.968
0.964
B. reputation
4.8 0.618
0.890
0.846
B. tribalism
4.4 0.738
0.978
0.975
Hedonic value
4.3 0.756
0.969
0.964
Materialistic value
4.1 0.770
0.910
0.851
Self-identity value
4.1 0.861
0.925
0.838
Social value
4.2 0.873
0.989
0.988
AVE Average Variance Extracted.
Chapter Two
38
The structural results are presented in Table 2. All path coefficients are
found to be significant at the 0.001, 0.01 or 0.05 levels, except the causal
order individual value->b. reputation. All values of Q2 are positive, so the
relations in the model have predictive relevance. The model also
demonstrated a good level of predictive power (R2) as the modelled
constructs explained 88.2% of the variance in b. Relationship, 77.2% in b.
Reputation and 94.2% in b. Tribalism. In fact, the good value of GoF and
the good level of predictive power (R2) revealed a good overall fit of the
structural model.
Table 2. Structural results.
Path
Coefficient Beta
(t-value)
Social Value-> Brand tribalism
Individual Value -> Brand
tribalism
Functional Value -> Brand
tribalism
0.591***(11.479)
Social Value-> Brand reputation
Individual Value -> Brand
reputation
Functional Value-> Brand
reputation
Brand tribalism -> Brand
relationship
Brand reputation -> Brand
relationship
R2B. tribalism = 0.942
R2 B. reputation = 0.772
R2 B. relationship = 0.882
0.463***(11.329)
0.187* (1.969)
0.213** (2.586)
-0.009 ns (1.349)
0.413***(10.311)
Hypothesis
H1a
supported
H1: fully
H1b
supported
supported
H1c
supported
H2a
supported
H2:
partially
H2b not
supported
supported
H2c
supported
H3: supported
0.792***(14.241)
H4: supported
0.166* (1.968)
Q2 B. tribalism = 0.69
Q2 B. reputation = 0.45
Q2 B. relationship = 0.63
GoF = 0.83
Second order formative factors
std. estimate (t-value)
Uniqueness -> Functional Value
0.612*** (16.750)
Usability -> Functional Value
0.509*** (15.490)
Hedonic -> Individual Value
0.766*** (31.291)
Materialistic -> Individual Value
0.189* (1.968)
Self-identity -> Individual Value
0.125* (1.966)
Note: significant at *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001; ns- not significant
The findings reveal that social values and functional values are important
predictors of brand tribalism and brand reputation. However, the
The Business of Luxury Brands
39
functional values, usability, and uniqueness of the cars are more effective
in creating brand reputation than in improving brand tribalism. Social
values have more influence on brand tribalism than on brand reputation.
Individual values have a significant effect on brand tribalism and this, in
turn, has an important role in brand relationships. The three dimensions of
individual values do not have the same strength. Hedonic values are the
most impactful in building individual values. Moreover, consumer’s
personal orientation on luxury consumption which addresses personal
matters, such as materialism, hedonistic and self-identity, seems not be a
key factor in improving the reputation of a luxury car brand.
Conclusion, Implications and Limitations
Luxury products are a union of tangible and intangible elements deriving
from the item’s style, design, quality and packaging. Consequently, the
search for status and social acceptance is among consumers’ expectations.
Each product must satisfy the individual preferences and needs of each
customer, as the luxury product is a means of communication. In
particular, a product reveals its own utility, satisfying material and
immaterial needs.
To attract consumers, a luxury company should offer a personalised range
of products, with a combination of quality, price and style. In this context,
the brand has an important role as it is a measure of luxury: the luxury
brand gives a product luxury status.
This study on luxury car brands allows us to understand that luxury values
do not act alone in the development of relationships between brands and
consumers. In accordance with the Veloutsou and Moutinho study (2009)
for non-luxury brands, in the luxury car context brand tribalism is more
important than brand reputation in forming relationships.
Managers of luxury car brands should be aware that the core benefits and
basic utilities of a luxury car (such as uniqueness and usability) and the
perceived benefit individuals acquire by having a car with a brand
recognized within their own social group(s), such as prestige, contribute to
positively reinforce brand reputation and may significantly affect the
evaluation of, and the propensity to purchase or consume, luxury car
brands.
Social aspects of displaying status, success, distinction and the human
desire to impress other people can positively contribute to the emotional
40
Chapter Two
life of the consumer, brand liking and having a sense of belonging by
buying and using the same car brand as community friends.
A collective memory of consumers in a luxury car brand community can
reflect group cohesion, improve consumers’ lives and their sense of
emotional authenticity, which, in turn, enhances the consumer/consumer
and brand/consumer relationships.
This study has some overall managerial implications. Firstly, in relation to
luxury businesses, this research allows the kinds of needs that an
individual can satisfy with luxury products to be better defined. They are
related to all those needs that are satisfied through acquiring non-necessary
products. Such needs drive the person to a certain behaviour when
shopping, which shows that person’s cravings, priorities, perceptions and
the other variables that characterise each choice. It’s important to observe
that, when satisfying a need for luxury, a product is chosen because it is
recognised as a superlative one. Consequently, the luxury company is not
simply product-oriented, as it focuses on other distinctive elements such as
quality, exclusivity, style, service, rarity, post-sales assistance, etc.
Secondly, the luxury car sector represents an interesting area of
opportunity for companies and many sub-sectors are involved. Some
specific features of the luxury car businesses can produce competitive
advantages as they better define the optimal brand relationship strategy. In
particular, this chapter provides evidence of how luxury values impact on
brand relationships, through brand tribalism and brand reputation,
improving customer retention and also company performance. It has been
shown that the luxury car sector is a potential area for companies to
increase their competitive advantage and find opportunities. This
importance is duly acknowledged in the economic and social framework
and, consequently, this topic could not be excluded from the literature.
Lastly, the role of the political and legislative environment should be
analysed: a strong political and legislative system has to protect domestic
production, but should also support good inputs and innovation in the
production process. In these circumstances, the legislative system could
impact on businesses through restrictions and opportunities: a series of
standards and regulations could protect the “Made in” in their production,
representing a means for domestic development. This protection is not in
conflict with market globalization, which allows for wider production and
selling ranges.
The Business of Luxury Brands
41
Thanks to the above managerial implications, business studies need to be
increased in this field: in recent years, while the world crisis has meant a
decrease in consumption, the luxury sector has tended towards an increase.
Consequently, future studies should analyse how to attract new resources
to invest in this field, with the aim of facing and overcoming the crisis
situation in market demand.
With regard to the limitations of the exploratory study, some points should
be considered, which may be avenues for further research: (i) more data
should be collected in other product categories and luxury brand
communities: (ii) explore the role of other factors as drivers to brand
tribalism and brand relationships or explore how consumers engaging in a
brand community can influence positive word-of-mouth and consumer
commitment.
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CHAPTER THREE
THE RELEVANCE OF CULTURAL ASPECTS
IN CROSS CULTURAL MANAGEMENT
IN MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES
ALBERTO FERRARIS, MARCO LONGO
AND MARCO WARSITZKA
Introduction
A willingness to work abroad has become the new normal, at least among
people looking for new job opportunities. The 21st-century workforce is
global, highly connected, technology-savvy, and demanding. Its
employees are youthful, ambitious, and filled with passion and purpose.
This is confirmed by some data regarding big multinational firms such as1:
- FCA GROUP has 225,000 employees (62,000 in Italy, 163,000
internationally).
- GENERAL ELECTRIC has 307,000 employees (135,000 in the
U.S., 172,000 internationally).
- MICROSOFT has 128,000 employees (62,000 in the U.S. and
66,000 internationally).
- ERIKSSON has 114,000 employees (18,000 in Sweden and 96,000
internationally).
This means that these international companies have a global workforce
since their activities are spread all over the world. Thus, in this context,
multinational firms have to handle very carefully the cross cultural
diversity dimension of their employees in order to achieve an
organizational efficiency and effectiveness (Bresciani et al., 2012; 2014).
1
Data collected from the annual report of 2013 of each firm.
Cultural Aspects in Cross Cultural Management in Multinational Companies 51
So, the meaning of culture, particularly its manifestation in the business
environment, is the key factor to understand the complex topic of Cross
Cultural Management. Understanding culture has become fundamental in
order to comprehend how companies really implement Cross Cultural
Management practices.
The aim of this chapter is to explain the relevance of the topic of Cross
Cultural Management for multinational companies whose global
workforce plays a crucial role in achieving organizational efficiency and
effectiveness (Bresciani et al., 2015; Bresciani and Ferraris, 2012; 2014;
Dias and Bresciani, 2006).
This chapter is structured as follows: the first part deals with the concept
of culture, highlighting the core elements affecting people's behaviour in
the business context. We focused on the concept of culture to provide the
readers the basic knowledge in order to comprehend Cross Cultural
Management issues. Moreover, the level of analysis is the single manager
with the aim at proposing key characteristics to successfully manage
culture within an organization. The second part, instead, defines and
explains Cross Cultural Management at the organization level,
individuating the main features arising when cross cultural diversity
management is applied by multinational firms and, at the same time,
proposing concrete experiences of two multinational firms.
The Concept of Culture
Understanding the concept of culture and its impact on the way people
think, feel and behave forms the basis of successful Cross Cultural
Management. The former relates to a definition and an explanation of
culture, the latter to its expressions and manifestations. Referring to
Kluckhohn (1951, 86) culture can generally be defined as the following:
“Culture consists in patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting,
acquired and transmitted mainly by symbols, constituting the distinctive
achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artefacts;
the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e. historically derived
and selected) ideas and especially their attached values.”
According to Hodgetts and Luthans (2000, 108), applied to the context of
business management culture can be explained as “acquired knowledge
that people use to interpret experience and generate social behaviour”.
52
Chapter Three
Additionally, Hodgetts and Luthans (2000) provide the following main
characteristics of culture:
Culture is learned. It is acquired by experience, not genetically
determined.
It is shared. Culture is shared by groups of people, it is not specific
to a single individual.
Culture is transgenerational. It is not specific for one generation
(though it can be altered in a specific way during one generation).
Culture is symbolic. Symbols are manifestations and expressions of
deeper cultural aspects, like underlying values.
It is patterned. Culture is an integrated concept, comprising lots of
different aspects, which are interconnected.
Culture is adaptive. It can change.
So, culture is a broad concept which relates to the societal level, but
thereby also influences the single individual. It has an impact on thoughts
and feelings and is manifested in various ways, such as concrete
behaviour, and artefacts. It originated in the past, it can outlast a whole
generation and is passed on to the next one. The aspect of the different
elements of culture can be further illustrated by using the Iceberg Model of
Culture (Hall, 1976). In this model culture is compared to an iceberg with
a visible tip including the aspects of culture, that can be concretely
observed (e.g. music, way of life, behaviour) and an invisible tip (e.g.
norms, values, attitudes, philosophy), whereby the invisible aspects help to
explain and understand the visible ones.
Applied to the context of Cross Cultural Management, this for example
means that it is not only important to know that subordinates from
Rumania might expect their supervisor to be much more directive than
German subordinates do. Additionally, it might also be helpful to be aware
of this being an expression of a cultural value, which is not only expressed
in this single expectation, but in many other ways, like certain forms of
behaviour (this example refers to a cultural value called Power Distance
and will be dealt with in greater detail later). Trompenaars and HampdenTurner (2012, 4) commented on this as follows: “[…] the essence of
culture is not what is visible on the surface. It is the shared ways groups of
people understand and interpret the world.” Comprehending this essence is
important for employees and managers of organizations which operate in
an international environment.
Cultural Aspects in Cross Cultural Management in Multinational Companies 53
Comparing Cultural Differences
To be relevant in the business context and especially with regard to
management, it is necessary to focus on specific aspects of culture, instead
of the overall concept (Schwartz, 1994). Consequently, many researchers
have focused on cultural dimensions which consist mainly of cultural
values and related behaviour. This research provides empirical data about
how people from different cultures behave, e.g. subordinates a manager
has to work with, “think about their world” (Thomas & Peterson, 2015,
43) and behave in certain ways. In the following, two models are
introduced, which aim to explore cultural differences in detail, and which
are of high importance with regard to their implications to Cross Cultural
Management.
The Model of Geert Hofstede
Meanwhile, the work of Prof. Dr. Geert Hofstede in the context of work
related values can be regarded as a “classic study” (Thomas & Peterson,
2000, 44). Hofstede used data from over 116,000 employees of marketing
and service departments of the American company IBM. The data was
collected during an internal company survey program between 1967 and
1973 and respondents were from 72 different countries. From this initial
study, four cultural dimensions resulted, named Power Distance,
Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism - Collectivism, and Masculinity Femininity. In the 1980s, Hofstede added a fifth dimension based on the
Chinese Value Survey by Michael Harris Bond, which was first called
Confucian Work Dynamism but then renamed to Long-Term Orientation
(Hofstede, 2001).
Power Distance
This first dimension identified by Hofstede (2001) refers to the degree of
acceptance of power inequality between individuals (e.g. supervisor and
subordinate). It is operationalized by the Power Distance Index (PDI)
which includes questions like “How frequently, in your experience, does
the following problem occur: Employees being afraid to express
disagreement with their managers?”, measured on a 5-point answer scale
from very frequently to very seldom (Hofstede, 2001). The extent to which
power inequality is accepted in a country, has a huge impact on the
structure of an organization, as well as the relationship and interactions
between supervisors and subordinates. In countries with a low PDI (i.e.
54
Chapter Three
low power inequality), decision structures are more decentralized,
organizational hierarchies are flat, and there is less supervisory personnel.
Managers highly rely on the expertise and experience of their
subordinates, and the latter expect consultation before a decision is made
(Hofstede, 2001). This reflects the low difference in terms of power
between supervisors and subordinates: both are almost equal, supervisors
are not regarded as superiors, who have to closely manage their
subordinates. In countries with a high PDI, though, the opposite applies.
Decisions are made by central authorities, organizational hierarchies are
tall, and supervisors manage their subordinates closely, leaving them only
little room for actions and responsibilities (Hofstede, 2001). What has to
be added is, that in countries with high Power Distance, such paternalistic
behaviour is not regarded as negative, but even expected by employees.
Table 1 provides additional differences between countries with high and
low Power Distance with reference to the organizational context.
Table 1: Differences between countries with low and high PDI (from
Hofstede, 2001)
Low Power Distance
High Power Distance
The ideal manager is a democrat,
providing resources for his employees.
The ideal manager is a benevolent
autocrat, making decisions on his own.
A consultative leadership style
increases productivity, performance,
and work satisfaction.
The relations between managers and
employees are based on pragmatism.
An authoritative leadership style
increases productivity, performance,
and satisfaction.
The relation between managers and
employees is polarized, and often
emotional.
Status symbols and privileges for
managers are accepted and popular.
Status symbols and privileges for
managers are disfavoured.
According to Hofstede and Hofstede (2011) examples of countries with
low Power Distance are Israel, New Zealand, the German speaking
countries and Scandinavia. In contrast, Malaysia, Slovakia, the
Philippines, Russia, and Rumania score very high on the PDI. The USA
and Great Britain also score relatively low on Power Distance.
Uncertainty Avoidance
The central aspect of Uncertainty Avoidance as a cultural dimension is to
minimize ambiguity. People from uncertainty-avoiding cultures prefer
reliable structures and clear rules to avoid situations, in which they have to
Cultural Aspects in Cross Cultural Management in Multinational Companies 55
make decisions under uncertain conditions without being capable of
predicting the consequences of such decisions. Operationalized by the
Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), Uncertainty Avoidance is measured,
for example, by the item “Company rules should not be broken - even
when the employee thinks it is in the company´s best interest”, while
strong agreement indicates high Uncertainty Avoidance (Hofstede, 2001).
In the business context, Uncertainty Avoidance plays an important role
with regards to the structure of organizations. In high uncertainty-avoiding
cultures, organizations have clearly defined structures and strict rules,
which have to be obeyed under almost any circumstances by their
employees. What has to be noticed is that Uncertainty Avoidance is not
equal to the avoidance of risk. This is the case, since while the latter
relates to a specific risk in a specific situation, the former does not, but it is
a “diffuse feeling […]” (Hofstede, 2001, 148) instead. Table 2 gives some
examples of differences between high uncertainty-avoiding societies and
low uncertainty-avoiding societies in business.
Countries with low Uncertainty Avoidance are for example, Singapore,
Denmark, Sweden, Hong Kong, and China, while Greece, Portugal,
Russia, Japan, and Rumania are highly uncertainty-avoiding countries
(Hofstede & Hofstede, 2011).
Table 2: Differences between countries with low and high UAI (from
Hofstede & Hofstede, 2011; Weidmann, 1995)
Low Uncertainty Avoidance
High Uncertainty Avoidance
Communication not hindered by
hierarchical boundaries.
Hierarchical structure requires topdown and vice -versa communication.
Lower Tendency to stay with the same
employer.
Tendency to stay with the same
employer.
Flexible organizational structures,
lesser need for rules.
Processes standardized and formalized,
high need for rules.
High willingness to innovate.
Opposition to change.
Individualism – Collectivism
This bipolar dimension relates to the self-concept of the people living in a
society and influences the relationship between the individual and the
collectivity (Hofstede, 2001). In collectivistic cultures, people define
themselves not only in terms of individual characteristics (e.g. societal
status, occupation, personality traits), but also in terms of the collective
56
Chapter Three
they belong to (e.g. company, culture, family), which implies a high
orientation of the individual towards this collective. However, in
individualistic cultures there is a strong focus on the individual, and the
collective is much less important for the single person. A society´s
orientation towards individualism or collectivism also influences the
importance of individual interests compared to group interests. One item
of the Individualism Index (IDV) by which this cultural dimension is
measured, is “How important is it to you to fully use your skills and
abilities on the job?”, whereby high importance indicates high
individualism (Hofstede, 2001).
The extent to which a society is more individualistic, or more collectivistic
does not only influence the relationship between people, but also the
relationship between organizations and their members. Using the relatively
modern concept of organizational commitment (Allen & Meyer, 1990),
one could assume, that in collectivistic cultures, members of an
organization are more affectively and normatively committed to their
organization which means, that they stay within the organization due to
emotional and moral reasons, and get greater care in return. By contrast, in
individualistic cultures, personnel investments in the organization, career
opportunities, and the number of attractive alternative jobs (calculative
commitment) might be more important.
There are also important differences between individualistic and
collectivistic cultures with regard to management. In individualistic cultures,
a manager has to manage individuals, including individual rewards and
recognition for individual performances. In collectivistic cultures, though, a
manager needs to manage groups instead of individuals, including group
rewards, since rewards for a single person would irritate the other group
members (Hofstede & Hofstede, 2011). An overview of other correlates of a
society´s orientation is provided in Table 3.
Table 3: Differences between individualistic and collectivistic countries
(from Hofstede & Hofstede, 2011)
Individualism
Collectivism
Skills and abilities form the basis of
decisions on hiring and promotion.
The task is more important than the
relationship.
Employees´ in-group is taken into
account when decisions on hiring and
promotion are made.
The relationship is more important than
the task.
Cultural Aspects in Cross Cultural Management in Multinational Companies 57
Individual decisions are regarded as
more effective.
Group decisions are regarded as more
effective.
Employees act in the interest of their ingroup.
Employees act in the interest of their
employer, if those interests are
congruent with own interests.
According to Hofstede and Hofstede (2011), countries with a high
orientation towards individualism include most of the wealthy countries,
like the USA, Australia, Great Britain, and Canada, whereas most less
wealthy countries are collectivistic, like Guatemala, Ecuador, Panama, and
Venezuela.
Masculinity – Femininity
This dimension includes mainly two aspects: The first one is which work
goals are prevailing in a society, social goals (e.g. care for living
environment, friendly atmosphere), or ego goals (e.g. pursuing one´s
career, earning money, being assertive). The second one is the degree of
distinction between gender roles. In societies with a high Masculinity
Index (MAS), there is a clear distinction between gender roles, and ego
goals are more important. In societies with a low MAS (i.e. feminine
societies) the gender roles overlap, and both, men and women, are
supposed to be concerned with social goals (Hofstde, 2001).
A culture´s orientation towards masculinity or femininity has a lot of
influence on the workplace. Firstly, the importance of work in general
differs between masculine and feminine cultures. Hofstede and Hofstede
(2011, 188) put it this way: In masculine cultures people “Live in order to
work”, whereas in feminine cultures people “Work in order to live”.
Furthermore, in masculine cultures employees are rewarded in accordance
with their accomplishments, while in feminine cultures they are more
rewarded in accordance with their needs (ibid). Table 4 shows some
additional differences between high and low MAS cultures in the work
context.
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Chapter Three
Table 4: Differences between feminine and masculine countries (from
Hofstede, 2001)
Femininity
Masculinity
Successful managers are attributed
both, male and female characteristics.
Successful managers are attributed only
male characteristics.
Preference for smaller companies and
for less hours worked.
Preference for larger companies and
higher wages.
Career is adapted to the family.
Family is adapted to the career.
More women in management.
Less women in management.
All Scandinavian countries score very low on MAS (i.e. are feminine
cultures), whereby Sweden has the lowest score of all countries. Countries
with the highest scores are Slovakia, Japan, Hungary, Austria, and
Venezuela, while the USA has a medium score (Hofstede & Hofstede,
2011).
Long-Term Orientation – Short-Term Orientation
As noted above, this fifth cultural dimension was not derived from
Hofstede´s initial IBM study, but was added on the basis of answers of
students from 23 countries on the Chinese Value Survey, an instrument
developed by Michael Harris Bond from the University of Hong Kong in
1985 (Hofstede, 2001). Originally called Confucian Work Dynamism due
to its close relation to Confucian teachings, but later renamed Long-Term
Orientation by Hofstede, this dimension relates to different virtues, which
prevail in a culture. In long-term oriented cultures, long-term success is
very important, and thus virtues like thrift and perseverance are prevailing.
In short-term oriented cultures, virtues which are oriented towards the past
and the present prevail, like respecting traditions, and fulfilling one´s
social duties (Hofstede & Hofstede, 2011).
Depending on their orientation being focused on the long- or on the shortterm, cultures differ in the economic context regarding two major aspects:
The first one is business strategy. In long-term oriented cultures, business
strategy is focused on building up a strong market position, which implies,
that immediate results are not expected. Thus, managers get resources and
time to make their contribution. By contrast, in short-term oriented
cultures past outcomes are the basis for the assessment of managers, e.g. if
quarterly targets have been met. Even if those outcomes resulted from
decisions made by their predecessors, managers are still held responsible
Cultural Aspects in Cross Cultural Management in Multinational Companies 59
for them (Hofstede, 2001). The second one is economic growth. Following
the argumentation of Hofstede and Hofstede (2011), their long-term
orientation is one possible explanation for the economic growth of the
tiger states (Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan)
between 1970 and 2000, since virtues like thrift and perseverance promote
entrepreneurship. In Table 5 additional examples are given concerning
correlates of Long- and Short-Term Orientation.
Table 5: Differences between long- and short-term oriented cultures
(from Hofstede & Hofstede, 2011)
Long-Term Orientation
Short-Term Orientation
Managers and employees share the
same goals.
There is a great psychological divide
between managers and employees.
Long-term investments in personnel
network.
Loyalty subject to business issues.
Payment related to performance and
skills.
Traditions can be adapted to changing
circumstances.
Social and economic inequality should
not be too high.
Traditions must be preserved.
The top-six countries with the highest scores on Long-Term Orientation
are China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea. Shortterm oriented countries are for example the Czech Republic, Spain,
Canada, Great Britain, and the USA (Hofstede & Hofstede, 2011).
The GLOBE Study
The second empirical investigation of cultural values that is dealt with
here is referred to as The Globe Study, which was part of the Global
Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness Program
(GLOBE) (House et al., 2002). In the framework of the study, 170
researchers collected data from 17,000 middle managers from 951
organizations in 62 countries during the 1990s. Similar to previous
research, the GLOBE study also revealed nine dimensions of different
cultural orientations which will be presented shortly in the following list.
But in contrast to especially Hofstede and Trompenaars, the focus was also
on different leadership styles across cultures, which makes this study
particularly valuable. This aspect will also be dealt with in greater detail in
the following.
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Chapter Three
The GLOBE Cultural Dimensions
The nine cultural dimensions identified in the GLOBE study are
conceptually similar to previous research, especially to the work of Geert
Hofstede (House et al., 2004), and thus will only be described shortly in
this work.
Uncertainty Avoidance: Despite differences concerning
measurement, this first dimension is very similar to Hofstede’s
Uncertainty Avoidance dimension. It also refers to a society´s
tendency to attempt to avoid the unpredictability of future events
by establishing rules, social norms and formal procedures (Thomas
& Peterson, 2015).
Power Distance: Closely linked to Hofstede´s eponymous
dimension, Power Distance is the degree to which members of a
society or organization accept that power is distributed unequally.
Collectivism: This dimension is related to the work of many other
researchers besides Hofstede and Trompenaars (e.g. Schwartz,
1994; Triandis, 1995), but in contrast to the former two, it is
subdivided: Collectivism I, or Institutional Collectivism is the
degree to which individual contributions to the collective wellbeing are encouraged and rewarded (House et al., 2004). The
second form of collectivism, named Collectivism II, or In-Group
Collectivism is more similar to Hofstede´s Individualism –
Collectivism dimension, and describes the degree to which people
are proud of, and loyal to the group they belong to.
Gender Egalitarianism and Assertiveness: These two dimensions
directly relate to Hofstede´s Masculinity – Femininity dimension
(House et al., 2004), while Gender Egalitarianism covers the
second aspect of Hofstede´s dimension (distinction between gender
roles), whereas Assertiveness covers its first aspect (prevailing
work goals).
Future Orientation: This dimension describes whether individuals,
organizations or societies are oriented towards the future in terms
of planning, investing in the future, or delaying gratification. It is
based on the work of Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck (1961) concerning
time orientation and it is also theoretically similar to, but
statistically independent from Hofstede´s Long-Term Orientation
(House et al., 2004).
Humane Orientation: The degree to which interpersonal values like
fairness, generosity, altruism, or kindness are promoted in an
organization or society is named Humane Orientation. Although
Cultural Aspects in Cross Cultural Management in Multinational Companies 61
there is no direct equivalent in Hofstede´s or Trompenaars' work to
this dimension, it also originated in the work of Kluckhohn and
Strodtbeck (1961) on the nature of people (Thomas & Peterson,
2015).
Performance Orientation: According to House, Hanges, Javidan,
Dorfman and Gupta (2004), this dimension has its origins in the
classical work of David McClelland on the achievement motive
(McClelland, 1961). Its core is the degree to which individual
performance and strive for excellence are rewarded and promoted
in an organization or society (Thomas & Peterson, 2015).
Culture and Leadership
The second major contribution to cross-cultural research of this study was
the empirical investigation of different beliefs about effective leadership
between different cultures. Extending Implicit Leadership Theory (ILT)
which proposes that individuals have different ideas about attributes,
skills, personal traits and behaviours of an effective leader (Lord & Maher,
1991). Dorfman, Hanges and Brodbeck (2004) formulated the Culturally
Endorsed Leadership Theory (CLT) which focuses, in contrast to ILT, on
the organizational and societal level, instead of the individual level. This
theory is comprised of two main aspects which are empirically supported
by the results of the GLOBE project: The first aspect is that cultures
develop specific leadership-prototypes which differ from culture to
culture. The second aspect is the idea that there are at least some leaderattributes which are regarded as characteristics of an effective leader in
most cultures, and other leader-attributes which are generally regarded as
impeding effective leadership in most cultures (House et al., 2002). Six
leadership-dimensions could be identified which can be generalized over
all investigated cultures (Dorfman et al., 2004):
Charismatic/Value based: This first leadership-dimension
characterizes a leader as visionary, inspirational, self-sacrificing,
integer, decisive, and performance oriented.
Team oriented: This dimension focuses team-aspects as being central
for a leader. A leader characterized as team oriented shows a
collaborative team orientation, is a team integrator, behaves
diplomatically, is not malevolent (reverse coded), and administratively
competent.
Participative: This dimension refers to the degree to which a leader
involves his employees in decision processes and thus, enables
them to participate.
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Chapter Three
Humane Oriented: A humane oriented leader is supportive,
considerate, generous, compassionate, and modest.
Autonomous: An autonomous leader is characterized as being
independent and individualistic.
Self-Protective: A self-protective leader focuses on security and
safety of individuals and group members. Thereby he is selfcentered, and status conscious, and emphasizes procedural, and
face-saving behaviour.
Most characteristics which are generally regarded as contributing to
effective leadership, relate to charismatic/value based leadership, while
some also relate to team-oriented leadership. Examples of these
characteristics are trustworthiness, justice, honesty (integrity as part of
charismatic/value based leadership), foresight and planning ahead
(visionary as part of charismatic/value based leadership), as well as being
positive, encouraging, motivating, and a confidence builder (inspirational
as part of charismatic/value based leadership). Examples referring to
aspects of team oriented leadership are being communicative, a
coordinator, and a team builder. So, over all cultures investigated, an
effective leader is a charismatic, visionary, and integer team-builder
(Dorfman et al., 2004).
Characteristics which are regarded as impeding effective leadership mostly
relate to self-protective and team-oriented leadership dimensions.
Examples are being lone, and asocial for the former, and uncooperative
and irritable for the latter (referring to malevolent as a reverse coded
subdimension of team-oriented leadership). Higher variation has been
found concerning the other dimensions, while humane-oriented and
participative leadership is still generally regarded as positive, while selfprotective and autonomous leadership is regarded as neutral to negative.
For a complete overview of all leader attributes and leadership dimensions
assigned to cultural clusters see Dorfman et al. (2004).
What Change for Managers?
Based on the previous sections, there are some conclusions which can be
drawn for managers in an international and cross-cultural environment. As
has been illustrated, cultures differ not only in terms of values and related
behavioural patterns, but also with regard to prototypes of effective
leadership. So, while some behaviours might be absolutely “normal” and
usual in one culture, they might be regarded as a sign of disrespect or
Cultural Aspects in Cross Cultural Management in Multinational Companies 63
aggression in another culture (e.g. interrupting someone), or while some
business practices encourage performance and motivate employees in one
culture, they may lead to a decrease of performance in another culture (e.g.
Management by Objectives).
Similarly, there are attributes of a leader which might be effective in one
culture, but ineffective in another (e.g. participative leadership). So, there
is no universally applicable management theory or business practice
(Bresciani and Oliveira, 2007; Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 2012).
Nevertheless, there are aspects which can facilitate managerial success
even in a foreign culture. A basis for dealing successfully with employees
or customers from a different culture is obviously awareness. This
includes pure awareness of the fact that cultures are different, as well as
knowledge about concrete cultural differences, e.g. concerning values and
related behaviours.
However, awareness is necessary but not sufficient. Another necessary
aspect is self-reflexivity. This means, that one has to reflect not only on
specific cultural values of the culture that one will have to deal with when
sent to another country, but also on own cultural values and behavioural
expressions, as well as own leader attributes. Only distinct knowledge of
one´s own behaviours which might be reflecting cultural values makes it
possible to interact effectively and successfully with members of other
cultures. The same applies for leadership attributes: For being effective in
another culture, a manager has to compare his own leadership-style to
what is preferred or regarded as effective leader behaviour in another
culture, and it might be necessary to adjust his own behaviour in some
ways. And to be able to do that he has to be aware of both. Unfortunately,
awareness and reflexivity are still not sufficient because the applicability
of research about cultural values is limited.
As Thomas and Peterson (2015) also point out, cultural values are only
average scores of societies. What cannot be taken into account are
individual values which are, however, very important for individual
behaviour. Thus, average cultural values can be regarded as a general
guideline for successfully dealing with members of a different culture, or a
“starting point” (Thomas & Peterson, 2015, 65) for understanding a
different culture more deeply and the values and behaviours of members
of that culture one has to deal with. However, they must not be used to
develop overgeneralized cultural stereotypes (ibid). Following the
recommendations of Adler (1997) one should use knowledge about
different cultural values as a general basis, and then gather information
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Chapter Three
about individual values of the people one interacts with and modify one´s
knowledge making observations and personnel experiences.
Cross Cultural Management at a Glance
Globalization, over the last decades, has raised an increasing interest in
cross-cultural management issues and, particularly, in comparing
management across different cultures and nations.
From the 1960s onwards, management researches have shown greater
interest in the concept of culture. This is because it was believed that
culture has an influence on managerial behaviour and firms' performance
(Sekaran, 1983).
Thus, Cross Cultural Management has developed rapidly over the 1990s
and 2000s, reflecting the shift “from curiosity to achieving an enlightened
understanding of how management and organizational phenomena relate
to cultural and national characteristics” (Earley and Singh, 1995, 329).
An often-quoted definition of cross-cultural management identifies the
field as follows:
“Cross-cultural management is the study of the behaviour of people in
organizations located in cultures and nations around the word. It focuses
on the description of organizational behaviour within countries and
cultures, on the comparison of organizational behaviour across countries
and cultures, and, perhaps most importantly, on the interaction of people
from different countries working within the same organization or within
the same working environment.” (Adler, 1983, 226)
Nowadays, the labor markets of most developed as well as comparatively
dynamic emerging countries are becoming increasingly multicultural and
multiethnic (Sultana et al, 2013).
Performance factors in terms of legal, moral and economic values become
the new organizational goals that can be achieved by managing diversity
(Cox, 1993).
In these circumstances, many companies have developed and implemented
a set of strategies for managing diversity in order to be more efficient and
competitive in the global marketplace as well as in multi-cultural markets
in manpower importing countries (Sultana et al, 2013:133).
Cultural Aspects in Cross Cultural Management in Multinational Companies 65
Cross Cultural Management in Organization
Organizations which foster diversity are predisposed to better integrate the
global dynamics of the labour market which is increasingly multiethnic
and multicultural (Jain & Verma, 1996).
The concept of “managing diversity in the workforce” has recently
emerged mainly to accomplish the goal of “equal opportunities” for all
(Sultana et al, 2013). Nevertheless, it is now accepted that the
heterogeneity provided by the cultural diversity can be an engine of
growth for the efficiency of the organization in this competitive world
(Nkomo & Cox, 1996; Jackson & Ruderman, 1995).
Then, international firms that promote diversity as a strength of their
organization are likely to attract the best talented staff (Carrel & Everett,
1995). Diversity in this sense is seen as a planned commitment of
organization to recruit, retain, reward, and promote a heterogeneous mix
of employees (Gilbert et al., 1999).
In concrete terms, cultural diversity in the workplace is exercised through
the coexistence of workers who have different backgrounds. The
management of cultural diversity requires, therefore, a type of
organization culture in which every employee’s career is not affected by
age, gender, race, religion or other factors not related to performance
(Bryan, 1999) and therefore no group is privileged over another (Torres &
Brussels, 1992). Moreover, the management of cultural diversity is often
related to competitive advantage.
Areas of Competitive Advantages
Nowadays the current trends of globalization and the increasing ethnic and
cultural diversity are catching the manager’s attention on cultural
differences. Competitiveness is affected by the need (because of national
and cross-national workforce demographic trends) to hire more women,
minorities, and foreign nationals (Cox et al, 1991).
The link between managing diversity and organizational competitiveness
is very close. Moreover, in the organizations, there are some areas that are
more sensible to this issue. According to Cox and Blake (1991), these
areas are: cost, resource acquisition, marketing, creativity, problem solving
and system flexibility.
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Chapter Three
1. Cost Argument
As organizations become more diverse, the cost of a poor job in
integrating workers will increase. Those who handle this well, will thus
create cost advantages over those who don't.
2. Resource acquisition argument
Companies develop reputations on favourability as prospective employers
for women and ethnic minorities. Those with the best reputations for
managing diversity will win the competition for the best personnel. As the
labour pool shrinks and changes composition, this edge will become
increasingly important.
3. Marketing Argument
For multi-national organizations, the insight and cultural sensitivity that
members with roots in other countries bring to the marketing effort should
improve these efforts in important ways. The same rationale applies to
marketing to subpopulations within domestic operations.
4. Creativity Argument
Diversity of perspectives and less emphasis on conformity to norms of the
past (which characterize the modern approach to management of diversity)
should improve the level of creativity.
5. Problem-solving Argument
Heterogeneity in decision and problem solving groups potentially
produces better decisions through a wider range of perspectives and more
thorough critical analysis of issues.
6. System Flexibility Argument
An implication of the multicultural model for managing Argument
diversity is that the system will become less determinant, less
standardized, and therefore more fluid. The increased fluidity should
create greater flexibility to react to environmental changes (i.e., reactions
should be faster and at less cost).
How to Successfully Change the Organization?
According to Cox and Blake (1991), organizations with the aim to
maximize the benefits and minimize the drawbacks of diversity in terms of
interpersonal conflicts that may arise, team cohesiveness and coherent
action on major organizational goals, must create “multicultural”
organizations.
Cultural Aspects in Cross Cultural Management in Multinational Companies 67
In the past, the typical organization has been either monolithic
(homogeneous membership sharing a single cultural group) or plural
(diverse membership but sharing a single cultural group). By contrast, the
multicultural organization is one where members of non-traditional
backgrounds can contribute and achieve their fullest potential (Cox et
Blake, 1991). The key components necessary to transform traditional
organization into multicultural ones are the following (Cox et Blake,
1991):
1. Leadership
Only addressing the commitment to cultural diversity to top management
is crucial but not sufficient. An organization needs to have lower
organizational level members to get involved in order to fully accomplish
the task.
2. Training
As a first step to manage and value diversity, training is the starting point.
There are two types of training: awareness training and skill-building
training. The former is meant to focus on the understanding and the
awareness of managing and valuing diversity. The latter is meant to
educate the employees on specific cultural differences and how to handle
differences in the workforce.
3. Research
It is crucial to collect the information about diversity-related issues,
including analysis of attitude and perception of employees, career
experiences of different cultural groups etc. This data is helpful to address
the right commitment to the right issues, recording the target accomplished
so far.
4. Culture and Management Systems Audit
An auditing system analysing in-depth the issues related to the potential
misunderstanding, harassment that may arise among the organization’s
workforce, is needed to indicate and support the management to give effort
to the proper target.
5. Follow-up
Monitoring the change and evaluating the results is crucial in order to
institutionalize the changes as part of the organization’s regular on-going
processes. Furthermore, an accountancy system is required to oversee the
progress and establish actions to keep the organization in the right line.
Chapter Three
68
From Diversity to Inclusion
Nowadays leading companies are promoting diversity as an expected
commitment, like other activities run with the primary aim of increasing
their reputation and thus, the attraction of talent.
According to Deloitte, an international consultancy firm, organizations
still treat diversity primarily as a matter of compliance – a regulatory box
to be checked (Deloitte, 2014). However, not enough organizations take
the next essential steps of creating a work environment that promotes
inclusion in all its variations.
In this context, the main question to be answered is:
"What can organizations do from simply meeting minimum regulatory
requirements for diversity to building an inclusive workplace that inspires
all employees to perform at their highest level?"
According to Deloitte, organizations can start by broadening their
understanding of diversity to focus not only on the visible aspects of
diversity (gender, race, age) but also, more importantly, on diversity of
thinking. This means to fully make use of people’s different perspectives
on problems and different ways to address solutions. Maximal
participation from the bottom to the top is required. A direct effect would
be to avoid the risk associated with homogeneity, especially in senior
decision makers. The key point is to consider diversity as a business
imperative. Another aspect directly linked with the diversity management
is the aspect of inclusion, which relates to the feeling of being part of an
organization.
According to the research of Kenji and Smith (2013), current inclusion
initiatives often implement formal inclusion (that is participation) without
recognizing how that inclusion is predicted on assimilation. Indeed, in
response to the pressure, individuals often downplay their differences,
covering them.
According to Deloitte, by bringing together these two issues – diversity of
thinking and inclusion – organizations can consider the importance of
diversity when it comes to meeting specific business objectives:
- Accessing top talent: Companies should recruit top people from a
globally diverse workforce.
Cultural Aspects in Cross Cultural Management in Multinational Companies 69
-
Driving performance and innovation: A significant body of
research shows that diverse teams are more innovative and perform
at higher levels.
Retaining key employees: One reason people leave organizations is
that they feel they no longer “belong”.
Understanding customers: Diverse employees better enhanced a
competitive advantage over market opportunities.
The key point is to make sure that organizations, applying diversity as a
means and not as a regulatory compliance, can move to allow their
employees to bring their rich perspective and approaches to the workplace.
Steps of the process
According to Deloitte, organizations with the aim to better understand the
key points that make people feel included, should consider the following
steps (Bourke et al., 2012):
- Create inclusion labs to help educate leaders about unconscious
bias and covering behaviour: Encourage leaders to honour other
people’s opinion and promote constructive debate.
- Embed diversity and inclusion in leadership pipelines and
programs: Give the right effort to diversity and inclusion initiatives
in leadership programs.
- Conduct a gap analysis of talent systems and processes: Audit the
current system of HR in order to make sure that diversity and
inclusion principles are applied.
- Develop a diversity and inclusion scorecard and measure business
impact: Hold leaders and managers accountable and identify
outliers in the diversity and inclusion initiative.
- Install governance and resource the effort appropriately: Create a
council with representatives from different parts of the business
that is properly resourced to be a change agent.
The Experience of Managing Diversity in Organizations
According to Karabacakoglu and Özbilgin (2010), there are three models
of global diversity management: universal, localized and transversal. The
first approach is a set of “universal” criteria, which means a common set
of diversity priorities, activities and methods that have to be put into effect
by every national branch network. The critique of this method is that the
Chapter Three
70
considerations made for a country, could not be lawfully/socially
acceptable for another.
The second approach is related to the implementation of diversity at a
local level; this method is applicable in the case that each branch
network’s target complements the global reputation of the organization.
The third approach links the priorities set at a global level with the
different ways of identification and implementation, of the latter, at a local
level.
Ericsson’s experience
At Ericsson, the power of you defines the power of us. We are more than
100,000 people with diverse experiences, perspectives and ideas. It is our
diversity that brings us closer together and helps us make a difference.
Together, we inspire innovation, communication and connectivity around
the world. Your personal strengths are our strengths – and it is Ericsson's
mission to ensure that diversity and inclusion are some of the most
important building blocks of our company.2
The approach of Ericsson to global diversity management is closer to the
transversal approach. Ericsson encourages global shared priorities, giving
the duty, to each Country Manager, to best define the implementation in
accordance with national circumstances and legislation.
According to Karabacakoglu and Özbilgin (2010), Ericsson puts special
attention on two areas, as a diversity strategy on a global level:
- Achieving a representative portion in terms of gender at all levels
of the organization.
- Increasing the proportion of people from different backgrounds
(nationalities) in senior management roles.
At Ericsson the Human Resources and Organization department is
responsible for developing the global framework for diversity. Locally,
each Country Manager, in accordance to the global strategies, defines
country diversity priorities and each country's plans are reviewed and
updated to reflect the business situation.
Every manager and every employee has the responsibility of translating set
priorities into practice, in order to ensure the outcome. Ericsson set short
2
Source: company website
Cultural Aspects in Cross Cultural Management in Multinational Companies 71
term and long term goals as a roadmap to follow and particular attention
has been given to the link between global and local perspective. In order to
continuously update the progress of the diversity work, the monitoring
system includes different approaches which capture diversity at individual,
workgroup and organizational levels.
BHP Billiton’s Experience3
In order to solve a demographic mismatch that has occurred to the
marketing division of BHP Billiton, the firm needs to adopt an approach
that carefully refers to diversity and inclusion. BHP Billiton’s marketing
division was highly diverse in terms of gender and ethnicity in nonexecutive positions, but there was a demographic mismatch between the
global talent pool and the company’s senior team.
Mike Henry, the president of health, safety, environment, and community,
marketing, and technology, observed this misalignment. He concluded that
the only reasonable explanation was an unconscious bias within the
organization and a tendency to do things as they had always been done particularly due to the fact that leading talent was primarily sourced from
BHP Billiton’s traditional hiring bases in Australia, the United Kingdom,
North America, South Africa, and the Netherlands.
Following the closure of BHP Billiton’s marketing office in The Hague - a
traditional hub for recruiting and developing marketing executives - Henry
decided to take action to prevent narrowing the leadership pipeline even
further. With strong support from the CEO, Henry began seeking out
broad-based leadership engagement and took steps to understand BHP’s
unconscious biases. He led by example, taking the Harvard Implicit
Association Test and sharing the results with his team. He aimed to prove
his commitment to diversity and inclusion and show that he could only
mitigate his own unconscious biases by being aware of them first.
Next, Henry had BHP Billiton’s marketing organization conduct an
inclusive leadership program for its top 150 leaders, which included
measuring perceptions on diversity and inclusion. The program involved
3
BHP Billiton’s experience, Deloitte Australia, “Interview with Mike Henry
(Group Executive & Chief Marketing Officer, BHP Billiton): Reflections on
investing in leaders to accelerate diversity and inclusion outcomes,” May 2013,
https://www.deloitte.com/view/en_AU/au/services/consulting/human-capital/
DiversityandInclusion/fc1eb8b30902e310VgnVCM3000003456f70aRCRD.htm.
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interactive workshops, storytelling, videos, self-paced activities,
homework, coaching, and reading, all designed to help leaders shift their
mindsets and behaviours. And it broadened the conversation from one
about diversity to one about diversity and inclusion, from demographics to
diversity of thinking, and from compliance to business imperative. To help
take this from a program to a sustained focus of attention, Henry appointed
a full-time diversity and inclusion manager to implement change. During a
time of downsizing, this was a potent symbol of the value he placed on
diversity and inclusion.
These steps yielded several notable results. Nine months after the first
leadership intervention, 88–94 percent of leaders reported that they
understood what they needed to do, that they had changed their behaviour,
and that they knew they were accountable for change. Critically, 72–76
percent of staff agreed that their leaders were behaving differently - that is,
more respectfully and inclusively - and that their teams were now more
collaborative.
In 2013, the program was expanded to include all leaders and all staff,
which was a huge investment of time and energy. Mindsets have shifted,
and while employee statistics have been slow to change, the 2013 results
of BHP Billiton’s marketing organization’s annual “inclusion index”
diagnostic reveal that representation of women and talent from outside the
companies’ traditional hiring bases has increased at leadership levels - a
trend that has continued year on year since the first diagnostic was run in
2011.
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CHAPTER FOUR
A PERFECT COUPLE:
THE WINERY AND RURAL TOURISM
LUÍSA CAGICA CARVALHO
AND BILL WILLIAMS
Introduction
The wine sector is notably competitive and contributes significantly to the
economy of several countries such as Portugal, Italy, Spain, France,
Australia, Chile and South Africa. Over the last twenty years, the sector
has increasingly come to see tourism as a complementary activity, one that
can increment revenue, support marketing strategies and nurture a close
relationship between customers and the territory and community where the
wines are produced. Wine tourism has been predominantly growing in
wine-production territories that are situated in rural areas and which
consequently permit synergies with rural tourism.
From a tourism perspective, wine has the potential to become the main
attraction of a territory and thus, together with the other local resources
such as heritage sites, rural community activities, local traditions,
environmental reserves and other territorial intensive products (TIPs), to
be an asset that makes a major contribution in defining the attraction of a
territory to tourists. Asero and Patti (2009) classify wine as a territorial
intensive product since it contains a strong reference to the territory in
which it is produced. These authors argue that wine reaches a target
market made up of those who are sensitive not only to the up-market wine
brands, of which they are often connoisseurs and in some cases experts,
but also to the territory, local traditions and handicrafts, which represent
what Winter (2003) refers to as “a new and defensive localism”. In several
countries wine is an expression of culture and the identity of a community
that maintains a set of traditions rooted in antiquity. Wine tourism
78
Chapter Four
proceeds typically in rural areas, based on itineraries involving areas of
wine production.
This study analyses the Portuguese wine sector, where wineries are
organized into 14 demarcated wine regions: 12 in continental Portugal and
two in the islands of Madeira and the Azores. One frequently finds
wineries and farms associated with these wine regions that promote rural
tourism as a complementary product. This study aims to identity and
characterize this burgeoning area of rural tourism.
This chapter is divided into two parts; the first presents a review of the
literature relating to wine tourism and rural tourism and the relationship
between these two areas of activity. The second part presents an empirical
study carried out in Portugal in 2014 to characterize the evolution of rural
tourism associated with wineries.
Literature Review: Rural Tourism, Wine and Heritage
Rural Tourism
Usually, wineries are located in rural agricultural areas that incorporate
wide-open spaces, and low levels of development, thus permitting visitor
and environment interactions (Nelson et al, 2008). Rural tourism means
that travellers visit locations outside urban areas and covers activities such
as hiking, biking, visiting community museums, buying crafts or having a
“country experience” (Page and Getz, 1997). This experience can provide
the urban visitor with an opportunity for a rural retreat or for an
adventurous activity in a natural setting. Hall et al (1997) suggest that
enjoying a rural location for its peace and tranquility is one motivation for
visiting a winery. Most of the wineries are located in very picturesque
rural environments that can, in addition, offer an appealing location for
weddings, family reunions, birthdays, or retirement parties. In fact, several
wineries have upgraded their once rudimentary facilities to accommodate
such events, and some even employ event planners to make the experience
stress-free for the consumer (Nelson et al, 2008). Getz (2000) notes that
visitors to wineries in rural settings not only have the benefit of scenic
views and landscapes but wineries may also provide attractive sites for
picnics, recreation, vineyard walks and group functions that will add value
to the guests’ enjoyment and enhance their experiences.
With regard to rural tourism, it is interesting to analyze the changing
profile of the rural tourism entrepreneur. Some studies suggest that if new
A Perfect Couple
79
farmers or other types of rural actors, such as winery owners, with diverse
backgrounds continue to enter the countryside in significant numbers, then
new networks are likely to arise, and established ones may feel threatened
(Dawson et al, 2011).
Wine Tourism
Studies of wine tourism began in the mid-to late-1990s, growing out of
several other existing areas of academic interest, such as rural and special
interest tourism (Hall and Mitchell, 2001; Hjalager and Richards, 2002;
Mitchell and Hall, 2006). Hall et al (2000) defined wine tourism as the
“visitation to vineyards, wineries, wine festivals and wine shows for which
grape wine tasting and/or experiencing the attributes of a grape wine
region are the prime motivating factors for visitors” (Hall, et al, 2000, p.
298). Getz (1998) describes wine tourism more broadly as including three
major perspectives: a strategy for destinations, an opportunity for wineries
and as a form of consumer behaviour.
Fraser and Alonso (2006) have observed that although the tourism and
wine industries are increasingly seen as “natural symbiotic partners” and
this relationship is embodied in wine tourism, in some cases wine tourism
can present significant downside aspects to the business of making and
marketing wine and not every grower will want to be involved.
Nevertheless, wine and tourism are both products that are differentiated
due their regional identity and can play a significant role in attracting
tourists to rural regions (Dawson et al, 2011). These visits can also
generate important benefits to local economies and communities
(Bresciani et al., 2015; Hall, 2004; Hall et al., 2000; Jaffe and Pasternak,
2004). In addition, as wine regions and wine trails have emerged
worldwide (Fensterseifer, 2007; Jaffe and Pasternak, 2004; Sharples,
2002), traditional regions that had stagnated are being revitalized through
small-scale production for wine tourism (Scherrer, et al, 2009).
Wine Tourism: Relations with Rural Tourism, Territory and TIPs
Nowadays wine and other TIPs are part of the heritage of a territory, one
capable of providing a rich cultural experience. In recent years the Council
of Europe for Cultural Routes has encouraged the creation and exploitation
of itineraries as cultural routes, such as “The Routes of the Olive Tree”
and “Iter Vitis–Wine Routes in Europe”. These thematic routes promote
thematic tourism and the conservation of cultural heritage through the
80
Chapter Four
utilization of typical products (Asero and Patti, 2009). The touristic
potential of these typical products is enhanced when they are identified
with quality labels and brands that protect their identity and when they are
associated with the endogenous features of the territory where they are
produced.
In the case of wine tourism, it is possible to identify different vectors
associated with wine production. These range from the vine plantations
and their settings (Douro, in Portugal, for example is a UNESCO world
heritage region and many tourists come just to see this particular
landscape) to the actual production in the wineries. The latter typically
includes wine-tasting and gastronomy, contact with the wineries and
producers along with nature-related experiences provided by rural tourism.
Hall et al (1997) characterize wine tourism as visits to vineyards, wineries,
wine festivals and wine shows, and suggest that the major motivating
factors for visitors are wine tasting and/or experiencing the attributes of a
wine region. Charters and Ali-Knight (2002) take a broader view and
propose that the wine tourism experience encompasses an expanding range
of features that include lifestyle experiences, education, linkages to art,
wine and food, tasting and cellar-door sales, winery tours, incorporation
with the tourism-destination image and a marketing opportunity which
enhances the economic, social and cultural values of a territory.
Additionally, Fuller (1997) argues that wine and tourism rely on regional
branding. Ohe and Kurihara (2013) suggest that local food production and
rural tourism are joint products, while wine is a predominant TIP
associated with rural tourism in numerous studies (Carlsen and Charters,
2006).
However, wine tourist expectations vary according to region (Charters and
Ali-Knight, 2002) and although wine can have a varying impact on the
tourism flux to a territory in accordance with its role which can be
predominant, complementary, marginal, or exclusive, it is generally
considered a contributing factor to the competitiveness of a destination
(Asero and Patti, 2009). Wine contributes to improving the competitive
advantage of a region, through the creation of jobs and revenue and vine
plantations, and the wine industry itself, winery visits, cellar-door sales
and associated hospitality all have a part to play in the business model.
The volume of wine tourism tends to increase with the competitive and
strategic positioning of a wine tourism region in a country (Williams,
2001) while the exclusivity of the product increases market opportunity
and reinforces the market niche created (Vrontis et al., 2011). Several
authors’ associate wine tourism with a neo-rural ethos, one that presents a
A Perfect Couple
81
new rural entrepreneurship, rural style of life and farmhouse activity
embedded in a culture of hospitality and sustainability (Asero and Patti,
2009). Additionally, some research (Cambourne et al., 2000) suggests that
wine provides a motivating factor for tourists to visit a destination given
that wine regions tend to be attractive places and vineyards aesthetically
pleasing. Consequently, wine tourism and hospitality could support the
development and refinement of cultural attributes, traditional values and
regional identity (Conto et al., 2014).
As wine can be considered a TIP par excellence, the following table from
Ohe and Kurihara (2013) that summarizes the symbiosis between TIPs and
tourism can be helpful in contextualizing its role.
Table 1. State of the art: TIPs and tourism.
Topic
Sub topic
Local food and tourism
Rural development/rural tourism
Authenticity
Rural cultural heritage
Food tourism
Wine tourism
Social effects
Rural development/rural tourism
Culinary tourism
Organic agriculture and agri-ecotourism
Rural tourism
Economic effects of local
food and tourism
Economies of scope
Source: Ohe and Kurihara (2013)
Differentiation of tourism destinations
Food consumption by tourists
Backward economic linkage
Hedonic pricing approach
Agricultural and rural field
Agricultural cooperatives
Non-agricultural field
Theoretical development
82
Chapter Four
Empirical Study: Wineries and Rural Tourism,
the Portuguese Case
Portuguese Wine Demarcated Regions
Portugal has 14 demarcated wine regions, 12 on the continent and two on
the Portuguese islands of Azores and Madeira. As can be seen in Table 2,
the volume of wine production is highest in the northern demarcated
regions of Douro (23%), Minho (15%), Trás-Os-Montes (2%), Beiras
(1%) and Dão (5%), which in total represent 46% of total production.
The second highest producing region is that of Greater Lisbon and the
Tagus Valley with 31.4% (Tejo: 9.2%; Lisbon: 16.2%; Setubal Peninsula:
6%). The demarcated regions from the centre of the country represent 7.2
% of the total production (Bairrada: 4% and Beira Interior: 3.2%). The
south of the country contributes 14.4% of the total (Alentejo 14% and
Algarve 0.4), while the islands of Azores and Madeira produced just 1% of
the total in 2009/2010.
Table 2. Wine production by region in Portugal - 2009/2010
Regions
Production
Production %
Minho
869.985
15%
Trás-os-Montes
110.615
2%
Douro
1.351.949
23%
Dão
295.894
5%
Bairrada
238.343
4%
Beira Interior
189.386
3,2%
Beiras
60.522
1%
Tejo
544.540
9,2%
Lisbon
962.718
16,2%
Setubal Peninsula
379.371
6%
Alentejo
810.339
14%
Algarve
23.651
0,4%
Madeira
45.448
0.8%
Açores
13.755
0.2%
Total
5.893.516
100%
Source: Instituto do Vinho e da Vinha, Portugal, Unit: 1000hl, 2014
The export of Portuguese wines in 2011 was mostly to the following 10
countries: Angola, France, Germany, United Kingdom, USA, Brazil,
Mozambique, Switzerland, Canada and Guinea Bissau and Portuguese
wines are currently fifth in the ranking of European wines imported into
A Perfect Couple
83
China (Lusa, 2015). Port wine is mostly exported to France, the
Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Germany, USA, Canada,
Denmark, Spain and Brazil.
Wine Tourism in Portugal
According to the “Wines of Portugal” website, there are a number of
wineries that offer wine tourism in Portugal although the distribution is
somewhat heterogeneous. As can be seen in Table 3, the supply of wine
tourism is limited to five of the 14 demarcated wine regions. In the north
of the country one finds three demarcated wine regions providing
enotourism services: Dão Lafões (three wine tourism business units),
Douro (eight units) and Minho/vinho verde (six units). In the centre of the
country, there is just one demarcated region, Bairrada (five units). In the
south just the Alentejo offers wine tourism (eight wine tourism business
units). As can be seen in Table 3, all of the units have a winery; some are
in rural regions and also have vineyards. These wine tourism business
units offer several services. This study has organized these services into
the following categories:
- Rural tourism;
- Museum and heritage (gardens, palaces etc.);
- Hotel;
- Restaurant and bar.
Most of the wine tourism units are located in the north of the country
which has 17 units representing 57% of the wine tourism supply, followed
by Alentejo in the south with 27% and in third place, Bairrada in the
centre with 16%. Overall, the distribution of wine business units in
Portuguese territories broadly parallels the volume of wine production set
out in Table 2.
With regard to accommodation services, the study indicates that 40% of
wine business units offer rural tourism accommodation: six units in the
north, four in the south and two in the centre. Additionally it is possible to
see that 20% of the wine business units have hotels (five or four stars)
associated with the higher end of the market. All of the units have
restaurants and bars that highlight the use of local products (TIPs) in
combination with local wines. We also note that 30% of these units offer
complementary products such as museum and heritage attractions.
84
Chapter Four
Table 3. Wine tourism: A landscape of the supply in Portugal
Regions/ Wine
Rural
Museum
Hotel
Restaurants
tourism business
tourism
and
and bars
heritage
North
Dão e Lafões
Hotel Casa da
x
Five star
x
Insua
hotel
Paço dos Cunhas
x
de Santar
Quinta de Cabriz
x
Douro
Aquapura Douro
Five star
x
Valey
hotel
CS Vintage House
Five star
x
Hotel
hotel
Quinta Nova de
x
x
Nossa Senhora do
Carmo
Quinta da Pacheca
x
x
Wine House
Quinta do Pego
x
Quinta Vale de D.
x
x
Maria
Quinta do Vallado
x
x
The Yeatman
x
Five star
x
hotel
Minho/Vinho Verde
Quinta da Aveleda
x
x
Casa do Valle
x
x
Quinta da
x
x
Brejoeira
Quinta das Arcas
x
x
Solar do Merufe
x
Solar de Serrade
x
x
Centre
Bairrada
Adega Luis Pato
x
x
Caves Aliança
x
x
Campo Largo
x
x
A Perfect Couple
Caves Solar de São
Domingos
Quinta do
Encontro
South
Alentejo
Herdade
Malhadinha Nova
Herdade do
Esporão
Herdade do Rocim
Hotel Rural Vila
Galé Country
House
L’and Vineyards
Hotel
Herdade dos
Coelheiros
Herdade dos Grous
Herdade do
Sobroso
85
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Four star
hotel
Five star
hotel
x
x
x
x (with a
Michelin star)
x
x
x
x
x
The coupling of wineries and rural tourism has also benefitted from local
and nationally supported initiatives which are aimed at increasing the
international market share of Portuguese wines and which also serve to
attract foreign tourists to participate in wine tourism. These range from the
choice of Reguengos de Monsaraz in the Alentejo region as the European
City of Wine 2015 (Recevin, 2014) to wine-tasting events as have been
hosted in countries such as Norway, Poland (Revista de Vinhos, 2015),
Brazil (Wines of Portugal, 2015) and increasingly in China (Lusa, 2015).
These events are frequently given government and diplomatic support as
wine and gastronomy promotions were highlighted as priority areas in
PENT (2013) the Portuguese government’s National Strategic Tourism
Plan Horizon 2013 – 2015.
Rural Tourism associated with Wine/Wineries in Portugal
To systematize the information collected about rural tourism in wine
tourism units we present table 4 which provides a breakdown of the
particularities of rural tourism when paired with wineries and wine
Chapter Four
86
producers. Rural tourism in these cases is typically developed on a small
scale and most of the accommodations have less than 15 rooms, with the
exception of Herdade dos Grous in Alentejo with 24 rooms. Most of the
accommodation is inside existing buildings on farms, and tourists
generally share the facilities on the farms with the owners and their
families. So the value added to the tourists in these cases includes contact
with a rural family environment and the possibility of sampling typical
routines of farm and country life, as well as close contact with nature and
relief from the stress of the city, given that the majority of the tourists
come from urban areas.
Additionally, it was possible to confirm that some winery owners come
from urban areas having abandoned city life and moved to rural regions
with the intention of working on properties that belonged to their families
for generations.
Another interesting aspect is that most of them offer other TIPs, such as
olive oil, honey and jam, and all of them have bars and restaurants that use
local products to provide some gastronomic experiences to visitors, in
addition to the wine. Therefore, these products function as complementary
products, and as often referred to in the literature, tourists come to
experience and taste flavours associated with endogenous products of each
region. Finally, it is also important to note that some of these business
units, particularly those in the south of the country (Alentejo) where farms
are large in terms of hectares, are able offer other types of tourist
attractions such as ecotourism, fishing and hunting.
Table 4. The winery and rural tourism: A perfect couple
Regions/ Wine
Rooms
Other TIPs
Restaurants,
tourism
(number)
Bars, wine
business units
tasting
Quinta Nova de
Nossa Senhora
do Carmo
11
Quinta da
Pacheca Wine
House
15
North
Douro
Produce: olive
oil, jams,
honey and
tisanes
Produce: olive
oil and jams
x
x
Other
tourism
segments
supplied
A Perfect Couple
Quinta Vale de
D. Maria
Quinta do
Vallado
87
3
x
13
x
Ecotourism
Fishing
Minho/Vinho Verde
Casa do Valle
Solar de
Serrade
5
8
x
x
Centre
Bairrada
Adega Luis Pato
Campo Largo
Herdade
Malhadinha
Nova
Herdade dos
Coelheiros
2
6
10
10
Herdade dos
Grous
24
Herdade do
Sobroso
8
x
x
South
Alentejo
Produce:
Livestock,
olives and
worse
Produce cork,
olives and
nuts
Produce:
worse,
livestock,
olives,
orchards,
vegetables,
olive oil,
chocolates
with wine,
jams, tisanes,
honey and
seasonings
with herbs
from the
region
Produce:
honey, olives,
olive oil and
jams
x
x
x
x
Ecotourism
and
hunting
tourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism
and
hunting
tourism
88
Chapter Four
This analysis suggests that tourists often seek this segment as part of a
package that includes a set of experiences that provide contact with rural
life, a gastronomic experience and wine tasting, and opportunities to
purchase TIPs to savour back home (usually stays in rural accommodation
are short, especially in the low season), to have contact with the farm
owners and their families and to accompany the process of wine making
from vineyard to cellar. There are also some cases reported of tourists
participating, at certain times of the year, in the activities of farms,
particularly in harvesting grapes and other traditional activities involved in
the preparation of wine. Furthermore they travel to these places with the
purpose of participating in festivals and local get-togethers associated with
wine.
This flux of tourists to rural areas enables a reduction in the problem of
seasonality in rural tourism and adds value to the tourist experience.
Conclusions
This chapter first presents a literature review that evidences the
relationship between wine and rural tourism. It then characterizes the
significance of Portuguese wines in supporting rural tourism provision in
demarcated wine regions in Portugal.
The empirical study looks at the 30 Portuguese wineries that provided
wine tourism in 2014 and in particular the 40% of these with a rural
tourism component. The study describes the features of rural tourism when
associated with wineries and TIPs in the Portuguese context and highlights
the importance of wineries in making rural tourism attractive and adding
value to the client experience. We also note that while wine is a
predominant TIP with the capacity to attract tourists to participate in the
different phases of its production from vineyard to the wine cellar and
tasting the final product, it is often associated with the provision of
complementary TIPs such as gastronomy, wine and rural tourism as joint
products.
The study allows us also to confirm that tourists are mainly from urban
regions and aim to enjoy rural experiences and contact with rural life in a
peaceful and natural environment. Some of the entrepreneurs are also from
urban regions but have come to live in rural areas to exploit the
endogenous resources of the farms that have been in their families,
sometimes over several generations. Further research aims to study the
A Perfect Couple
89
profile of these entrepreneurs and their relationships with local
communities.
We note that the promotion of wine and gastronomy have both been
prioritized in the Portuguese government’s national tourism plan for 2013
- 2015 which has meant that Portuguese wine has been increasingly
marketed at events in Europe, South America and China and this is likely
to reinforce the symbiosis of these TIPs in coming years, which can be
expected to provide scope for important future research.
The data presented suggests that events associated with wine and wineries
can increase tourist demand in rural areas by adding value to the tourist
experience and consequently reduce seasonality in rural tourism.
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localism, Journal of Rural Studies, 19: 23-32.
CHAPTER FIVE
STRATEGY – STRUCTURE
COMBINATION FOR LUXURY YACHT
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
LAURA BROCCARDO AND ALI COSKUN
Introduction
In periods of economic downturn such as the current one, businesses try to
streamline operations within their organization, with Management
formulating questions such as ‘how can we make the company more
efficient and more effective? Is strategy aligned to the market? Is the
structure adequate to the strategy to be implemented?’ The issues related
to any crisis can no longer be solved entirely by the old rules, institutions,
strategies and attitudes. Management must develop appropriate structures
for the future, as when it comes, recovery will be quick (Pellicelli, 2009).
The idea of the research itself and investigation of related issues springs
from review of the strategy and structure literature and appropriateness
thereof, which becomes essential in periods of crisis, when management
rediscovers some fundamental tenets of business theory, i.e. the way
companies should be organized and managed.
The purpose of the project was to:
- Verify the inextricable relationship between strategy and structure.
- Assess the impact of corporate strategy on the structure and related
changes, as well as that of organizational structure on strategy.
- Identify the impact of strategy and structure on corporate
performance, considering that the assumed reason for change is the
search for better results.
- Highlight, in the context of change, the best strategy-structure
combination to gage business performance.
Strategy – Luxury Yacht Performance Management
93
The paper consists of initial analysis of the theoretical background about
the paradigm strategy-structure-performance, followed by a description of
the research method, short presentation of the test sample and, to conclude,
some managerial implications.
Theoretical Background
Strategy and Structure
Prior to discussion, it is appropriate to clarify the meaning of strategy and
structure as considered in this study.
In the literature, there is an abundance of strategy definitions, but
Mintzberg tried to organize the different concepts defining strategy with 5
symbolic terms, i.e. Plan, Ploy, Pattern, Position and Perspective,
whereby:
- Plan identifies the guidelines to follow in a given situation,
conceived ahead of the action and intentionally developed.
- Ploy is intended and designed to contrast a competitor.
- Pattern is the result of actions and behaviour of individuals,
deliberate or otherwise, but not of their own design.
- Places are specific markets for specific products, intended as a
mediating force between the organization and the environment.
- Perspective is the management or owner’s vision for the future.
To formulate a correct concept of strategy, the five definitions listed above
should be considered jointly and not separately.
Another way to define strategy is to state what it is not, (Porter, 1997):
quality, time-to-market, customer satisfaction considered not as strategies
but as tools used by businesses to achieve best results (Pellicelli, 2005).
Concluding, the elements that characterize the concept of strategy can be:
- A set of complex decisions, relating to who, what and how.
- Medium-long term goals.
- Resources to acquire and allocate for achieving the strategy.
- Actions for strategy implementation.
For a successful strategy, the above elements must be verified at company
level and related to the external environment, otherwise the wanted result
will not be achieved.
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Chapter Five
Grant (1999) emphasizes this link, considering strategy as a link between
the company and its external environment, which is the basic concept of
this study.
The business must develop a strategy able to produce value added for
stakeholders, using its core skills but keeping under strict control the
environment in which it operates in order to snatch any opportunities and
monitor possible challenges that may arise. In fact, from a systemic
viewpoint, the environment is the set of factors surrounding the operators
and, in terms of interests and goals, it determines behaviour.
The environment influences the behaviour of a business. Consequently, in
order to make effective decisions, companies must relate to external
partners and solutions, as different environmental conditions require
different operating strategies (Bresciani, 2010; Costa and Gubitta 2004).
In this research, the Porter and the Miles and Snow classifications were
used to assess the strategy of each group, as they consider both
competitive advantage and link to the environment.
Corporate structure was considered as a set with roles, activities and tasks
assigned to each element according to rules and constraints to achieve a
common goal (Golinelli, 2005). In particular, the structural organization of
each group was analysed according to basic structures, i.e. elementary,
functional, divisional and matrix. Also, in each group of such companies,
some differences in basic structure were found to be always present.
Organizational Design.
After defining the "dimension" strategy and the "dimension" structure, a
more complex issue was considered, i.e. organizational design, or how to
put together strategy, structure and other variables, with a bias toward the
latter. In this phase, the issue related to the study of the structure more
suited to business goals was considered (Bresciani et al., 2012).
Organizational design can be performed at a specific and formal time, for
instance when the company was founded, or when the company is
restructured, and must embody the mission.
For effective organizational design many variables were considered,
including the link between strategy and structure.
Strategy – Luxury Yacht Performance Management
95
The following are related:
- Strategy as outlined by Porter and by Miles and Snow
and
- Distinctive elements that best support the competitive approach of
the company.
Table 1. Implications of organizational design of the strategy
Porter's competitive strategies
Miles and Snow Strategic Typology
1. Strategy: Differentiation
1. Strategy: Exploring
Organizational design:
Orientation to learning, acting flexibly
and without many constraints, with
strong horizontal coordination
Ample capacity for research
Enhance and build mechanisms for
familiarity with customers
Rewarding employee creativity, risktaking and innovation
Organizational design:
Orientation to learning, flexible
structure, fluid, decentralized
Ample capacity for research
2. Strategy: Cost leadership
Organizational design:
Guidance efficiency; strong central
authority; tight control of costs with
frequent and detailed reports SOPs
Highly efficient supply and distribution
systems
Careful supervision, routine tasks,
limited empowerment of employees
2. Strategy: Defence
Organizational design:
Guidance efficiency; centralized
authority and tight cost control
Emphasis on productive efficiency,
low overheads
Careful supervision, limited
empowerment of employees
3. Strategy: Analysis
Organizational design:
Balance efficiency and learning; tight
cost control, flexibility and
adaptability
Efficient production by established
product lines; emphasis on creativity,
research and risk taking, innovation
4. Strategy: Reaction
Organizational design:
No clear organizational approach, the
characteristics of the structure may
change abruptly according to the
needs of the moment
Source: Daft R.L., Organizzazione aziendale, Third edition, Apogeo, 2007, page
61
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Chapter Five
Analysing the factors related to organizational design, it emerged that
depending on company strategy and objectives, special emphasis should
be applied to certain elements, thus implementing organizational structure
strategy most appropriately in order to secure correct alignment between
strategy and structure (Bresciani and Ferraris, 2014).
The two models above, i.e. Porter and Smiles and Snow, were considered
to formulate strategy because they emphasize company internal
characteristics on one side (Porter) and environment (Miles and Snow) on
the other, so as to meet the challenge of market turbulence. This explains
clearly how strategy represents a strong link between:
- The company with its aims, values, resources and structure,
and
- The external environment including competitors, customers and
suppliers.
The Porter's model assumes that Management assesses two factors in
formulating strategy, i.e. competitive advantage and company objective,
subsequently deciding whether to compete by reducing costs or
introducing distinctive products and services, or by turning to different or
selected market segments.
The model developed by Miles and Snow is based on the assumption that
management formulates strategies consistent with internal features of the
organization's strategy and the external environment. They studied
businesses operating in four different markets, i.e. publishing, electronics,
food and healthcare. This model was used by many researchers because of
its ability to characterize an organization as a complete system and to
provide a comprehensive format to study the implementation of different
successful strategies (Jennings, 2004).
The two models highlight the link between internal characteristics of the
business and the external environment.
The implications of organizational design suggest that depending on
company objectives, certain combinations of strategy and structure give
better results than others, as reflected in the literature.
Some authors (Chandler, 1962, Williamson, 1975, Pavan, 1976,
Donaldson, 1987, Whittington R. and Mayer M., 2002), state that the
divisional structure is particularly appropriate for several products.
Strategy – Luxury Yacht Performance Management
97
The Paradigm Strategy - Structure and Performance and how to
Measure them
While many authors debate whether it is structure that follows strategy or
vice versa, few study the issue of performance related to strategy and
structure combinations.
One of the first to study this issue was Rumelt, who discovered the
relationship between strategy, structure and performance. He identified the
special relationship between strategies and structures and defined nine
forms of strategy-structure relationships adopted by businesses, showing
how certain combinations are superior to others and how companies with a
differentiation strategy based on divisional form, obtain better
performance than others.
Other researchers investigated strategy - structure – performance,
including Donaldson (1987) who conducted similar research in Australia,
and Hamilton and Shergill (1992) in New Zealand. The results of these
works have shown that performance improved when strategy and structure
were aligned.
Also Galbraith and Nathanson (1978) pointed to a relationship between
strategy and structure, arguing that proper alignment between strategy,
structure and operational processes produces improvements in business
performance.
Harris C. and Ruefli TW (2000) found that the temporal order of changes
in strategy or structure did not affect business performance. This study
shows that businesses which only modify the structure without changing
strategy, post worse performance than those who do not change strategy
nor structure. Companies who change strategy leaving the structure
unchanged were found to perform better.
Assessing company performance, Harris C. and Ruefli TW (2000) found
that after changes in strategy and structure, measurement became
problematic, because the implementation process, in terms of time, varied
from company to company. To allow for changes in strategy to be
implemented they monitored ROA (return on assets) for five years after
the change.
Some researchers (Claver-Cortés et al., 2012) found that strategy, by its
very nature, involved coordination and control issues, and structural
98
Chapter Five
devices such as centralization, divisionalization, etc., helped in handling
such problems (Miller et al., 1988). Other contributors demonstrated that
successful implementation of strategies involved decisions affecting the
characteristics of organizational structure (Chandler, 1962 and Okumus,
2003).
Organizational structure can influence the strategic decision-making
process (strategy formulation), consequently its characteristics can explain
or limit strategic decision-making in some cases. At the strategy
formulation stage, following internal and external analysis a company
defines the strategy to secure the competitive advantage (deliberate
strategy), subsequently altering its organizational structure as necessary to
implement that strategy. According to this approach, the organizational
structure would mediate the effect of strategy on company performance
(Claver-Cortés et al., 2012).
However, the strategy which actually influences performance, does not
always go according to plans (Mintzberg, 1990). Management often has
more discretionary powers to define competitive strategy than to change
organizational structure in the short term, organizational change being
slower than strategic change (Child, 1972).
Change of organizational structure is not immediate. In fact, it often takes
many years to complete, especially in large corporations.
Research Procedure
Methodology and Survey Tool
The work consisted of "case studies", i.e. qualitative research effort
characterized by interacting theoretical and empirical concepts. Although
partly affected by subjectivity and often criticized for lack of statistical
reliability and validity, the method excels in cases of complex issues (Yin,
1984) for developing expertise and confirming results of previous
research.
The survey tool used was the interview, which has advantages such as
flexibility, nonverbal behaviour, environmental control, order of questions,
completeness, response from the interested interviewees, against
disadvantages such as costs, time, interviewer influence and nonstandardized formulation of questions.
Strategy – Luxury Yacht Performance Management
99
Interviews were semi-structured to be kept within the main area of interest
but sufficiently open to get the interviewees’ own ideas and feelings. They
included questions intended to verify the quality of answers. Chief
Executive Officers, Chief Financial Officers, Business Units Executives
and consultants were interviewed to obtain the information needed. Three
interviews lasting 2 to 3 hours for each group were planned.
The main questions of interviews were:
1. Kind of strategy (focusing on customer differentiation ...) and
structure (multi-functional – multidivisional, etc.) adopted.
2. Changes in strategy or corporate structure over the years?
3. If any, change dates and type of new structure or strategy adopted,
with details thereof.
4. If none, explain why.
5. Changes in strategy always overlapped with changes in structure?
6. Corporate structure changes determined changes in strategy?
7. Were there different combinations of strategy-structure in the firm
history?
8. What were the reasons for changes in structure and strategy?
9. The corporate structure was always adequate to the strategy?
10. What was the best combinations strategy-structure?
11. The economic performance resulting from these choices showed
improvements?
Representative cases must be selected and results validated continuously,
not only at the end of the study. The sample consisted of six groups of
leading luxury yacht businesses (for a total of 67 companies), representing
about 58% of the national market and about 18% worldwide.
The decision to examine these six groups of large companies was
supported by the opinion of Eisenhardt (1989) on the case study method of
research, which stimulates the use of multiple cases. This author concludes
that with a number of cases between four and ten it is possible to "work
well", whereas with fewer than four cases it is often difficult to generate
theoretic concepts.
ROA and ROE were considered, disregarding the time and risk variables,
e.g. E.V.A., taken as appropriate indicators by the work of Fryxell and
Barton (1990) on their suitability for research related to strategy.
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Chapter Five
Research Question and Assumptions
The main goal of this study was to analyse the relationship between
strategy and structure and impact on performance.
The research statement was:
- If strategy and structure are aligned, performance is improved.
Consequently, if alignment of strategy (which must take into
account the external environment) to structure is correct good
results are possible in overcoming crisis situations.
To fulfil the objectives specified at the outset, four assumptions were
made, based on the literature:
Hp I: The strategy adopted in the luxury yacht business is differentiation /
exploration.
Hp II: The structure adopted is the divisional format.
Hp III: If the strategy changes also the structure changes and the structure
affects strategy.
Hp IV: Each change in strategy and structure brings about an
improvement in performance.
Findings
This section outlines, for each group of companies, the strategy – structure
combination adopted over the years and the associated performance
measured by ROA and ROE, as noted by Fryxell and Barton (1990).
AZI Group
Changes in AZI strategy and structure occurring over the years and
strategy-structure combinations are summarized hereunder.
Table 2. Strategy and structure combinations in the AZI
Years
Strategy
Structure
1970-1985
Cost Leadership toward
Functional
Differentiation/Analysis
1985- 1997
Differentiation/Exploration
Divisional
Strategy – Luxury Yacht Performance Management
Since 1997
Focused Differentiation
/Exploration
101
Divisional with
review
Source: In-house processing
The years 1970 to 1985, 1985 to 1997 and 1997 to the present day are the
periods when most changes occurred.
The years that mark the turning point and the need for change were 1985
and 1997.
Regarding ROA and ROE ratio, group performance improved to
significant peaks between 1999 and 2003, whereas from 2004 to 2006, the
two indicators stabilized and then decreased until 2011.
This trend shows how the group achieved good results (from 1999 to
2002) when strategy was supported by the structure, or rather when
strategy and structure were perfectly matched, whereas when these two
variables were not balanced performance was adversely affected.
Over time the structure suffered some adjustments to successfully
implement the strategy. In fact, in AZI, once decided on the strategy to be
implemented, the structure evolved and changed up to the time when it
achieved the right balance, thereby influencing performance. This was
clear for the years ranging from 1997 to 2003, when performance was
continually improving.
Consequently, deteriorating business results (2004 to 2011) are a mark of
strategy-structure misalignment, making it essential to rethink the
combination.
AZI moved toward a logic of process management to find a new strategystructure balance.
AZI corporate strategy was based on differentiation and external
environment dynamism was driven by product innovation, even though the
company still made changes to strategy, e.g. moving from competitive
advantage based on design and technical performance to that related to the
services on offer.
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Chapter Five
FI Group
Changes in strategy and structure occurring over the years and FI strategystructure combinations are summarized hereunder.
Table 3. Strategy and structure combinations in FI
Years
Strategy
Structure
1980-1990
Differentiation /
Elementary/Functional
Exploration
1990- 2000
Differentiation toward
Functional/Divisional
Focused Differentiation/
Exploration
Since 2000
Focused Differentiation/ Divisional
Exploration
Source: In-house processing.
The years 1980 to 1990, 1990 to 2000 and 2000 to the present day are the
periods when most changes occurred.
The years that mark the turning point and the need for change were 1990
and 2000.
ROA and ROE indicators reflecting FI corporate strategy, were calculated
for items reported in the consolidated balance sheet. Data for year 2003,
the subject of extraordinary operations, were disregarded.
When strategy (year 2000), differentiation and product innovation were
aligned to structure or divisional structure, performance increased in year
2002.
In 2004 to 2011, results worsened, although corporate strategy remained
unchanged, and differentiation, product innovation and structure did not
involve significant changes.
The drop in performance meant that corporate strategy, in terms of
competitive advantage and response to external environment stimuli, as
well as the structure, needed rethinking to correct the deficiency. Any
change in strategy or structure involved a decrease in performance for
several years.
Strategy – Luxury Yacht Performance Management
103
RI Group
The changes in RI strategy and structure occurring over the years and the
different strategy-structure combinations are summarized hereunder.
Table 4. Strategy and structure combination in RI
Years
Strategy
Structure
1980-2000
Differentiation /Defensive Functional
Since 2000
Focused Differentiation/
Functional
Exploration
Source: In-house processing.
From 1980 to 2000 and from 2000 onward were the periods when most
changes occurred.
The year that marked the turning point and the need for change was 2000.
ROA and ROE indicators reflecting FI corporate strategy in 2005 to 2007
were calculated for items reported in the consolidated balance sheet. Data
for 2000 to 2004 were related to the financial statements.
Following a change in strategy and some small changes in structure, group
ROA remained steady, whereas ROE exhibited swings between positive
and negative.
Strategy changed from differentiation/defensive to focused differentiation/
exploration, but structure did not move. In fact, disregarding minor
variations the group maintained a functional structure. Consequently,
structure adversely affected strategy, preventing the achievement of good
performance.
Thus, strategy and structure had failed to achieve the right balance,
structure preventing strategy from achieving good results.
Differentiation strategy is difficult to achieve in a multi-functional
structure, and RI had to find the right strategy-structure combination to
enable the new strategy to bring results.
AN Group
The changes in AN strategy and structure over the years and the different
strategy-structure combinations are summarized hereunder.
Chapter Five
104
Table 5. Strategy and structure combination in AN
Years
Strategy
Structure
1999-2005
Differentiation /Analysis
Elementary
Since 2005
Focused Differentiation/
Exploration
Divisional
Source: In-house processing
From 1999 to 2005 and from 2005 onward were the years when most
changes occurred.
The year that marked the turning point and the need for change was 2005.
ROA and ROE indicators reflecting AN corporate strategy in 2005 to 2011
were calculated for items reported in the consolidated balance sheet.
Both the indicators showed a clearly downward trend, especially ROE.
Year 2005 was marked by a strategic change: the company changed from
analysis strategy to exploratory strategy, penetrating new market segments
specialized in particular types of customers, with consequent changes to
company structure.
In fact, from 2007 elementary structure was changed to divisional
structure. The downward trend of the two indicators selected was due to
reorganization, as yet not completed, the resulting Business Units not
having yet reached the autonomy that characterises the divisions.
As regards the marketing plan, in 2008 the Group developed a set of
strategies to strengthen and revitalize the business for the purpose of
improving the geographical spread of its distribution network.
In addition to the actions implemented during the year on the production
side, the objective included raising product quality, focusing on
standardization and quality control procedures at production unit level,
with supervision by a cross-function team.
To correct quality misalignment, the group implemented specific
improvement programs, thereby avoiding additional costs for rework (a
significant item in 2008).
Strategy – Luxury Yacht Performance Management
105
Some inefficiencies were related to production misalignment resulting
from business interruption due to ineffective management of internal
scheduling, especially in connection with production plan changes, as a
consequence of cancellation of orders and the rework activities.
SM Group
The changes in SM strategy and structure over the years and the different
strategy-structure combinations are summarized hereunder.
Table 6. Strategy and structure combination in SM
Years
Strategy
Structure
1968-1988
1988- 1997
Since 1997
Cost Leadership/
Defensive
Cost Leadership toward
Differentiation /Analysis
Differentiation /Analysis
Elementary toward
Functional
Functional
Functional with
Reviews
Source: In-house processing
From 1968 to 1988, 1988 to 1997 and from 1997 onward were the years
where the most changes occurred.
The years that marked the turning point and the need of change were 1988
and 1997.
ROA and ROE indicators reflecting SM corporate strategy in 2006 to 2011
were calculated for items reported in the consolidated balance sheet. Data
for 1997 to 2005 were related to the financial statements.
When strategy and organizational structure were clarified, in 2002 to 2006,
performance began to improve. The organizational structure was changed
to allow strategy implementation. In recent years (2007, 2008), when it
was decided to penetrate a new market segment, i.e. the fly-bridge, results
worsened, underlining again a need to adapt the structure to the changed
strategy to be implemented.
When strategy and structure were aligned (2004 - 2006), performance
improved considerably, but the deterioration of results showed that the
change in strategy was not followed by a change in structure (2007 2011).
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Chapter Five
SO Group
The changes in SO strategy and structure over the years are summarized
hereunder and the different strategy-structure combinations are
summarized hereunder.
Table 7. Strategy and structure combination in SO
Years
Strategy
Structure
1958 – 2004
Differentiation /Defensive
Elementary
Since 2005
Focused Differentiation/
Divisional
Analysis
Source: In-house processing
From 1958 to 2004 and from 2005 onward are the years when the most
changes occurred.
The year that marked the turning point and the need for change was 2005.
ROA and ROE indicators reflecting SO corporate strategy for 2006 and
2011 were calculated for items reported in the consolidated balance sheet.
Data for years 2005 and 2007 were related to the financial statements.
From 2005 to 2011 ROA increased moderately and ROE peaked
abnormally in 2008, whereas from 2005 to 2007 the trend indicated slow
growth.
Except for 2008, performance was moderate but growing, showing that the
change in strategy and in organizational structure had a positive impact,
pointing to possible improvement.
Discussion
The examples of AZI, FI and SM show that changes in strategy facilitate
changes in structure also positively impacting performance within two to
three years, provided that strategy and structure are perfectly aligned as
stated by Harris and Ruefli (2000). Such good results last on average five
years, after which a decrease in performance sets in. This proves that, even
if the two variables are correctly balanced they cannot go unchanged over
time, if excellent results are to be achieved and/or maintained. In fact, with
changing external environment factors, such changes must be incorporated
in order to adapt so as to be ready to take every opportunity (Grant, 1999),
even in critical market conditions. A case in point is the current economic
Strategy – Luxury Yacht Performance Management
107
downturn, when strategy or structure must be adapted to avoid adversities,
as some activities or products have to be eliminated or some critical
processes have to be restructured.
As RI, AN, SO and SM show, especially for 2007 and 2008, by itself a
change in strategy is not sufficient to achieve good results, a suitable
change in structure being needed for proper balance to prevent the
structure caging the strategy (Rumelt).
In general, the performance of the companies surveyed:
- Did not show significant improvement,
- Fluctuated or decreased.
FI also showed that when strategy and structure continued unchanged,
performance was adversely affected. Consequently, as structure is a
crucial variable for proper strategy implementation, when the strategystructure combination is not aligned, companies fail to achieve good
results. In fact, where strategy or structure does not change performance
takes a dip, whereas when both strategy and structure change and are
aligned to business objectives and the environment, companies achieve
good results.
Based on the four assumptions:
Hp I: Strategy for luxury yachts: differentiation / exploration
Strategy was only partially valid, since in the luxury yacht sector the
companies surveyed were characterized by differentiation strategy which
however, according to Miles and Snow classification is of both
exploratory and analyser type.
Hp II: Divisional structure
Structure was only partially valid, because not all businesses adopted a
divisional structure, although some used a variant of the functional
structure for the different products, this structure holding while there was
no significant change in production.
Hp III: Strategy changes bring about structure changes: structure affects
strategy
This was seen to be valid. All businesses surveyed clearly confirmed that
any change in strategy brought about a change in structure or adaptation.
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Chapter Five
A change in strategy, i.e. what, how, for whom to produce, or simply
partial strategic orientation requires rethinking the organizational structure
in order to successfully implement strategy.
Regarding the statement "structure shapes strategy" typical of companies,
the choice of appropriate structure to implement strategy was never
optimal to begin with, and always necessitated rethinking and adjustments
during implementation, in some cases structure restricting strategy
implementation, confirming Claver-Cortes et al. theory.
Hp IV: Change in strategy and structure = Improved performance
The following were found to apply:
- Performance improves with each strategy or structure adjustment,
but best results are achieved when strategy and structure are
aligned.
- If structure is not adequate for strategy, performance suffers.
- If strategy and structure change, performance suffers.
The best combination strategy-structure was found to be differentiation
strategy-divisional structure, confirming that as stated in the literature
(Chandler (1962), Williamson (1975), Pavan (1976), Donaldson (1987),
Whittington R. and Mayer M. (2002)), divisional structure is especially
appropriate for safeguarding several products.
An assessment of strategy–structure and performance revealed
strengths/weakness and opportunities/risks inherent in the luxury yacht
sector, as summarized hereunder.
Figure 1. Swot analysis
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
style / design boats
quality of production
offer financial services
customization
quality of port services
high number of berths
regulatory apparatus
quality of assistance services
Strategy – Luxury Yacht Performance Management
109
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
emerging markets
growth of nautical tourism
superyacht market
growth of the brand made in Italy
nautical services (including ports)
economic downturn
reduction in the growth of nautical marketing
Excessive fragmentation of the offer
Source: In-house processing
Limits
The limits of this research are summarized hereunder.
a) The survey was conducted using qualitative data which can be
affected by subjectivity.
b) The sample used consisted of successful large companies operating
in the same sector, although future studies should also include
small businesses.
c) The research project focussed on strategy and structure
combination and their mutual influences, but it is stressed that
successful strategy calls for variable structure and a set of other
factors, including management control system, quality of human
resources and development tools, appropriate technology, etc.
d) The study assessed the impact on performance of strategy–structure
combination, but it should be noted that performance can be
affected by internal factors, e.g. breach of supply contract or a fire,
as well as external factors, e.g. commodity price increases, etc.
Conclusions and Contributions
Strategy and structure are in continuous iteration and it is crucial for
performance that these two variables change over time to provide
continuous and different stimuli from the environmental factors arising,
but their relative balance is equally important. Some authors (Andrews,
Hofer & Schendel, Porter) purport that strategy should bring the business
in line with the operating environment, thereby acting as an adaptation
mechanism (Hambrick, 1983).
This project has shown that if strategy and structure are aligned good
performance follows. Some (Kaplan and Norton, 2006) argue that a
110
Chapter Five
"strategic dream" often turns into nightmare if businesses undertake costly
corporate restructuring. and that when corporate strategy and structure are
not correctly aligned, the strategic design chosen must work well with a
strategic system allowing structure “to get in tune” with strategy. Structure
is not a neutral variable in the formulation of strategies, and can condition
and often preselect strategy (Onetti, 2002).
This research agrees with the literature:
- In stating that the causal relationship between changes in strategy
and structure is reciprocal (Hoskinsson 1987, Mintzberg 1987);
- In giving prominence to the results obtained by differently
matching strategy and structure, without emphasisono the temporal
order of changes thereof (Harris and C. Ruefli TW 2000);
- In identifying the best strategy-structure combination in
differentiation strategy with divisional structure (Chandler, Pavan,
Whittington, et al).
About the relevance of the research for the business world, this study will
prompt businesses to reflect on strategy and the way of implementing it,
focusing on one critical aspect, i.e. the need of an appropriate
organisational structure to support strategic decisions. In fact, companies
often change structure and strategy, but just as often they fail to reflect as
to whether strategy and structure are aligned and whether the structure is
adequate for strategy implementation. Alignment is always critical, and
even more so during economic downturns.
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CHAPTER SIX
MODERN TRENDS FOR THE STRATEGIC
USE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS:
DYNAMIC IP PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT, OPEN INNOVATION
AND COLLABORATIVE ORGANIZATIONS
ROSA LOMBARDI, JOHN DUMAY,
ALESSANDRA LARDO
AND RAFFAELE TREQUATTRINI
Introduction
Intellectual property (IP) management (Aghion and Tirole, 1994; Bader,
2007; Tanaka, 2013) is the process whereby products are created that
incorporate new inventions and integrate IP into both the company’s
business model (Magretta, 2002) and its corporate strategy (Al-Aali and
Teece, 2013). By managing these IP rights and exploiting them
economically, new forms of access to knowledge are created, based on
collaboration among companies (Yang, 2012). The protection of IP is
based, therefore, on various management practices, including access to
innovation outside the company.
The advantage of proactive IP management is that it allows a company to
increase its financial performance and achieve a greater market share
(Porter, 1980; Edvinsson and Malone, 1997; Stewart, 1999; Arora, 2001;
Kale et al., 2001). However, IP management requires a leadership
(Gordon, 1945; McGregor, 1966; Drucker, 1972) capable of identifying
and handling the goals defined by the company, with the view of
harmonizing the work of the human resources involved in such activity at
the company level. Consciously managed IP can, therefore, allow
Modern Trends for the Strategic Use of Intellectual Property Rights
115
managers to control the problems connected to its economic assessment,
with the aim of increasing the company’s contractual power.
Over the past few years, the analysis of several profit and non-profit
organizations has revealed the existence of new IP asset management
opportunities based on the sharing of knowledge within and without the
company. In this conceptual chapter, with its approach based on a
literature review (Yin, 2003; Myers, 2013), the aim is to analyse new
management trends concerning IP rights. The chapter explores the concept
of dynamic IP portfolio management and the need to exploit company
resources, dividing the management of IP rights into: identification,
acquisition, implementation and strategies of use. The analysis continues
with the contextualization of IP strategies based on the open innovation
model. Companies adopting open innovation in their IP management
operations have the opportunity to create greater economic returns from
the non-core IP rights identified in the open research phase, through
licensing and the creation of spin-outs.
Considering a business environment based on technologies and knowledge
shared by individuals and organizations, collaborative IP management can
accelerate growth and innovation processes. This has led to the need to
replace traditional legal instruments (patents, industrial secrets, copyrights
and trademarks) with more flexible licensing arrangements.
In order to explain the modern trends of IP management, after the
introduction, the methodology section illustrates the approach used in the
research. The Dynamic IP portfolio management section introduces
strategies implemented by companies to manage their IP portfolios. The
section referring to the identification and acquisition phases of IP rights
studies the starting phases in which IP rights are handled by companies.
The section about the implementation and use phase of an IP portfolio
analyses the strategies that are used to stimulate the dynamic management
of an IP portfolio. The IP and open innovation section investigates the
adoption of the open innovation model in IP management. The
collaborative organization section defines the distinctive features of a
collaboration model in order to exploit the benefits that are derived from
this strategy. The section referring to a new model for IP management
strategies conceptualizes how to choose companies’ IP strategies properly.
Finally, the last section sets out the primary conclusions of the review.
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Chapter Six
Methodology
The qualitative research approach (Myers, 2013) is based on an analysis of
the literature concerning IP (De Villiers and Dumay, 2014), with particular
focus on open innovation and the collaborative organization model.
Starting from a single method approach, data was acquired through
secondary research sources (Yin, 2003) specified as follows:
˗ scientific books and articles (international literature);
˗ databases (EBSCO; Google Scholar);
˗ news items, documents and websites.
Dynamic IP Portfolio Management
After defining the concept of new IP management models, this was
followed by the description of a framework to identify the strategies that a
company can achieve, setting out the internal and external indicators of
structured planning and cognitive self-sufficiency. The analysis starts by
studying IP management, proposing a definition of its distinctive
principles and phases within the knowledge economy (Jaffe and
Trajtenberg, 2002; Rooney et al., 2005).
Starting from the onset of IP management, IP assets are handled by the
chief innovation officer (CINO) and a team of people who constantly
assess markets and the company’s lifecycle (Gollin, 2008). Additionally,
strategies implemented by managers must grow and develop regularly to
ensure that the capabilities within the company can also grow, to achieve
competitive advantage (Barney, 1991) and create value in the long term.
Company capabilities are dynamic in nature (Teece and Pisano, 1994;
Grant, 1996; Teece, 2007) and can be distinguished into:
Current capabilities, which are the skills used within the company’s
organization and production process, which vary according to the
operations being carried out;
Future capabilities, which are the additional skills that the company
attains during its life cycle to achieve its corporate mission.
By using their current capabilities and acquiring IP rights, companies can
invest in the development of future skills (Quinn et al., 1996).
In the light of this proposition, the analysis is directed towards defining IP
management strategies, adapting them to a company dynamics and its
Modern Trends for the Strategic Use of Intellectual Property Rights
117
skills (strategic flexibility), or defining methods whereby both current
skills and IP rights are used efficiently (strategic creativity). The phases of
IP dynamic management are identification, acquisition, implementation
and use (Palfrey, 2012), which are discussed next.
The Identification and the Acquisition
Phases of IP Rights
The phases of identification and acquisition of IP rights are defined by the
following steps carried out in the company:
a) identification of IP rights;
b) internal acquisition;
c) joint development agreement;
d) licensing-in;
e) merger and acquisition operations.
The first phase (a) refers to identifying IP rights associated with the
existing and potential skills owned by the company. In the initial phase of
management, the company draws up a table in which it summarises its IP
rights before undertaking any strategic action to alter the arrangement. It
is, therefore, necessary to define which IP rights generate a greater return
on the capital invested by the company and how to set about acquiring
further IP assets, with the aim of increasing company business and its
competitive advantage in the long term (Barney, 2006). In the
identification phase, the IP manager prepares a policy statement, defining
the rules and obligations regarding its intangible assets management,
specifically with reference to industrial secrets, copyrights, patents and
trademarks.
The internal acquisition of IP rights (b) is carried out by developing IP
through investments in advertising or research and development. For
example, patents may be acquired or developed within the company
(Lissoni and Montobbio, 2002; Gollin, 2008), in line with either defensive
or attack strategies (Figure 1). There are three defensive strategies. First,
the strategy of “research into patents” involves correctly identifying the
technological components to be patented, with special focus on the
protection of cheap ideas. Second, the “overflow” strategy is based on
patenting all positive results originating from corporate research and
development processes. In sectors involving complex technologies, this
strategy does not always lead to a sector being totally safeguarded,
regardless of any collaboration with other companies. This situation leads
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Chapter Six
to the company adopting cross-licensing and patent pooling practices
during the implementation phase of its patent portfolio. Third, the
“containment wall” strategy is more structured compared to the previous
strategies, as it is based on patenting the variations of a basic idea,
building a range of instrumental patents around the main patent in order to
defend innovation.
Figure 1- Defensive and attack patent strategies
Research
Defense
Overflow
Containment
Walls
Strategies
Technological
Blocks
Attack
Invent Around
Looking at attack strategies, the strategy of “technological blocks” is
associated with research and development activity and its aim is to create a
block around a specific technological question, preventing competitors
from using a specific type of technology. Next, the strategy of “invent
around” consists in backing the patents of third parties with either patents
relating to complementary inventions that are necessary for translating the
primary patents into products and processes, so extracting economic value.
However, there are different methods for acquiring and developing a
dynamic IP portfolio, which mainly focus on patents, and apply to forprofit and non-profit orientated companies. The alternative procedure
refers to the possibility of stipulating a temporary agreement between
several competitors, with the objective of co-producing products or
services in compliance with the IP rights of others. This is a joint
development agreement (Palfrey, 2012) (c), allowing two or more
companies, called parent companies, to share their respective IP portfolios
and teams of developers, and create new IP to incorporate within a specific
product or service. A joint venture (Gutterman, 2002; Bellamy and Child,
2012) involving cooperation between competitors or complementary
companies can lead to an increase in financial and non-financial
Modern Trends for the Strategic Use of Intellectual Property Rights
119
performance and market penetration, expanding the composition of the
company’s IP portfolio.
Another method to acquire IP rights is represented by an IP license
agreement taken out by one or more third party organizations. This
operation is identified as “licensing-in” (d). A license agreement allows
technology to be transferred from one innovative company to a buyer in
exchange for a fixed fee and/or a royalty calculated on revenue.
Another strategy to acquire IP assets derives from merger and acquisition
operations (e). These operations (Tovstiga and Farhadi, 2010) use a
portfolio of crucial IPs to achieve the company goals. Furthermore, part of
an IP portfolio can be achieved through the acquisition of company assets,
with the ability of attaining autonomous income. With a view to the
acquisition and identification of IP, management and human resources
involved in the management of these assets must complete the following
functions:
1) identify the company’s IP;
2) assure that IP assets are protected;
3) ensure that management strategies defined for each class of IP are
applied.
Company management quantifies the time and economic resources to be
spent in protecting its IP, in order to define the entity of the rights relating
to these assets, regardless of the strategy of use to be created. Companies
that classify, protect and assess their IP are able to implement strategies to
achieve their objectives in shorter periods of time.
The Implementation and Use Phase of an IP Portfolio
The phase of implementation and dynamic use of IP rights included in the
company portfolio are based on the following areas:
a) full exclusion;
b) limited exclusion;
c) free licensing;
d) spin-off;
e) IP loan and IP securitization.
Starting with the strategy of “full exclusion” (Smith, 2007) (a), the IP
portfolio is used to take advantage of a monopoly position with regards to
a newly developed product, both excluding its use by third parties and
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Chapter Six
using it as an instrument of defence or attack against competitors. This
company strategy is known as a shield and sword strategy (Glazier, 2000)
and is applied in the protection of patents.
If the aim is to maximise the use derived from IP rights and, in particular,
patents, the most appropriate strategy is that of “limited exclusion” (b)
(Palfrey, 2012). This strategy allows third parties to use corporate IP
according to predefined agreements. It is the license strategy used to
generate cash flows from the use of IP rights owned by the company in the
short term. This strategy allows value to be extracted from the assets of IP
held in the company’s portfolio, leading to the achievement of greater
profitability of IP connected to the core business of the company.
These licensing-out strategies can be implemented for a series of different
objectives (Smith, 1998; Arora and Fosfuri, 2003; Raugust, 2008).
Primarily, a license is granted when the company does not want, or does
not own, sufficient skills to exploit modern technology and reach a
position of monopoly, so it decides to maximise its profit and receive
royalties. The definition of royalties varies according to the use that the
licensee means to make of the IP, the need to acquire this license and the
geographical area in which the IP is to be used.
Many organizations have understood that the licensing system allows IP to
be used in new geographic areas or in different commodity-related fields,
without having to directly support the costs and investments necessary to
expand operations. Subsequently, it is possible to establish partnerships
with customers, suppliers and distributors through cross-licensing
strategies (Shapiro, 2001). These agreements include the reciprocal
exchange of licenses between two companies, where each party becomes
the licensee of the other, guaranteeing the right to freedom of action and
limiting the risk of litigation for violating the IP rights of the other.
Additionally, there are also patent pooling strategies (Aoki and Schiff,
2008; Choi, 2010), consisting in packaging several patents together, and
granting the rights of use to others in a single solution. The advantage here
for companies is that they avoid having to acquire several licenses, with
high transactional costs. Using patent pooling, an innovator may use
protected technologies and benefit from multiple rights in a single
transaction.
With the implementation of a “free licensing” strategy (c), granting a
license for free is seen as a way to impose a technological standard or to
Modern Trends for the Strategic Use of Intellectual Property Rights
121
signal that the company has no interest in opportunistically establishing a
monopoly.
Next, the implementation and dynamic use of IP assets aim, on the one
hand, to maintain the IP rights necessary for the core business of an
organization and, on the other hand, to externalise IP rights of less
strategic importance through “spin-offs” (d) (Smith and Hansen, 2002).
Where licensing strategies become an autonomous profit centre for
companies, the independent management of part of the IP portfolio is
assured. Company management may also consider whether it makes sense
to create an IP holding company (Manton, 2006), establishing a company
spin-off where IP assets are transferred to a special purpose entity, and
therefore receiving profit in the form of income from royalties, or by
issuing shares to collect private equity.
Finally, a company may pursue strategies that consist in exploiting its IP
portfolio financially (e) through “IP-loan and IP-securitization” operations
(Malackowski and Smith, 2009). This strategy uses the IP portfolio as a
guarantee for loans and as a securitization asset. In an IP-loan, the IP
portfolio is granted as a guarantee against a loan or fund. This operation is
not very wide-spread because of problems in valuing IP rights. IPsecuritization involves the securitization of future cash flows in the form
of royalties deriving from assets, in this case the IP rights held in the
portfolio. This operation is complex and expensive, especially since the
predictability of future cash flows relating to intangible assets is poor. An
IP portfolio is especially useful for the self-funding purposes of small
innovative companies in their start-up phase (Siegel and Wessner, 2003) or
when IP represents a company’s main asset.
The strategies of acquisition and implementation of IP should be
constantly assessed, in order to make sure that the portfolio of these
intangible assets is aligned with the goals of the company. The need for
dynamic IP portfolio management is connected to the continuous changes
that a company makes to its strategy, as well as to the different market
channels and different phases in the lifecycle of its business. By assessing
the importance of IP rights in the various development phases of its
business, a company can determine its priorities in terms of investment
and management of intangible assets.
After having introduced an IP portfolio, it needs to be handled, protected
and increased; processes to control the IP rights that are owned need to be
defined in terms of their obsolescence, and these rights need to be
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developed and enhanced. In general, the dynamic management of an IP
portfolio does not mean the simple strategy of acquisition and static
holding of IP assets. Here, it is essential that the company’s management
should work closely with the company’s innovators and legal
representatives (Fisher and Oberholzer-Gee, 2013) in defining both the
implementation and protection strategies for the IP, to ensure that they
understand how, in particular, the latter support the economic goals of the
company (Sullivan, 1998).
The IP assets management process should not be handled exclusively by
the legal department; for strategic purposes, it must be linked to the
commercial and the research and development departments. The strategic
purpose of the dynamic management of an IP portfolio is to avoid many
assets from remaining within the company without being exploited. Some
empirical research (Chesbrough, 2006) confirms that the majority of
companies, including large companies, only use 25% of the IP rights
available to them. IP managers often license or sell unused IP rights
because they believe that they are unable to gain any further revenue from
them, while the rights granted could be used and interpreted in a different
manner in other business models.
Additionally, it is possible to acquire an instrument to stimulate the
dynamic management of an IP portfolio by implementing the correlation
between the IP manager’s remuneration and his or her capability of
achieving financial returns on the assets of IP held in the company
portfolio.
IP and Open Innovation
The development of information and communication technology
(Rosenberg, 1976; Geroski; 1990; Unwin, 2009) and the increase in
innovation processes (Drucker, 1985; Von Hippel, 1988; Arora and
Merges, 2004) have reduced the value of singular IP rights. Thus, IP
Management models need to capture the value of innovation, with the
view of starting circular development processes between the company and
their environment towards reconfiguring business models (Chesbrough
and Rosenbloom, 2000; Applegate, 2001; Teece, 2010). Therefore, many
companies choose to reconfigure their business models openly in order to
take advantage of the division of work in innovation (Chesbrough, 2006).
An open business model creates value because it allows the full
exploitation of intangible resources and underused IP assets.
Modern Trends for the Strategic Use of Intellectual Property Rights
123
An open business model is associated with an open type of IP
management, with the purpose of improving company performance. The
open management of IP is connected to the processes of open innovation
(Figure 2). Open innovation (Von Hippel, 2001; West and Gallagher,
2006; Chesbrough, 2010; Gassmann et al., 2010) represents a strategic
alternative to the traditional model of innovation.
More specifically:
“open innovation is a paradigm that assumes that firms can and should use
external ideas as well as internal ideas, and internal and external paths to
market, as they look to advance their technology” (Chesbrough, 2006: 1)
Open innovation is founded on two forms, outside-in and inside-out.
Outside-in open innovation is the basic model in which ideas flow into
companies from various sources and is defined as crowd-sourcing (Doan
et al., 2206; Ye et al., 2012). Inside-out open innovation occurs, instead,
when many entities create an operative system or platform fitted with
special tools, to which each entity can add and include their own ideas and
contributions (Dahlander and Gann, 2010; Gemunden et al., 2007;
Huizingh, 2011). Additionally, outside-in open innovation receives a set of
contributions for company development. Inside-out open innovation
allows advanced innovation processes to grow and develop, following the
information provided by the organizations involved.
Figure 2 – The cycle of open innovation
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Chapter Six
In defining open innovation models, particular attention is given to the
partnerships between universities, research organizations and companies
(Palfrey, 2012). Innovation needs both knowledge and capital. The search
for new knowledge is often carried out by public organizations
(Mazzucato, 2013); however, due to decreases in government investment
for public research organizations, there is now an emerging need to
concentrate more on applied research, the creation of patents and earnings
derived from licensing. At the same time, companies must be able to use
knowledge and IP rights to create new products and processes. In this
perspective, many companies, universities and research centres have
decided to open up their boundaries and collaborate on highly innovative
projects. Therefore, companies can develop a dynamic IP management
strategy based on opening their innovation processes to include
collaboration with public research organizations.
Additionally, when building a business strategy based on third parties’ IP
such as those found in public research organizations and beyond, this
should be seen as an opportunity to open up and pay attention to
everything that customers, competitors and other external individuals can
offer by way of improving and increasing IP, and this brings with it
unexpected advantages (Weber, 2004; Von Hippel, 2006).
With reference to the opportunity of participating in an open innovation
process (Lee et al., 2010), it is possible to distinguish between companies
with different IP:
Those with a wide and strong IP portfolio, for which the paradigm
of open innovation can represent an obstacle to the acquisition of IP
rights. These companies do not participate in the open innovative
processes;
Those that own IP rights as the basis of their business activities (in
particular, patents, as in the case of pharmaceutical companies), for
which sharing in the open innovation community is not sensible
with regards to their core business;
Those for which opening is not an obstacle to the acquisition of
patents or other IP rights, and using open innovation represents an
alternative business model.
Handling an open innovation model is a challenge for many companies,
because of the general norms that regulate the protection of IP rights (Lee,
2009). For example, different national patent laws tend to discourage the
exchange and communication of new ideas at the global level, because
Modern Trends for the Strategic Use of Intellectual Property Rights
125
they cannot be protected through the patenting institutions after
publication or diffusion. In this perspective, open innovation requires
companies to find a method to connect with the closed innovation model
adopted in law. Therefore, IP management in the open innovation model
has different characteristics than those of the closed innovation model.
The managerial aims of companies, based on the open innovation model,
are, principally, the following (Chesbrough and Vanhaverbeke, 2006):
Optimization of performance from internal innovation; increase in
the development of new products and services; and granting of IP
rights outside the company through licensing-out, patent pooling or
free licensing contracts, stimulating the request for complementary
products related to the rights transferred;
Inclusion of external knowledge flows within company processes
in the short term to contend with competitors;
Development of new products for new markets through third party
IP involvement.
Companies, based on the open innovation model, have the chance of
creating greater economic returns from non-core IP rights, identified in the
open research phase, through both licensing and the creation of spin-outs
(Agarwal, 2004; Franco and Filson, 2006; Rossi et al., 2013).
Spin-outs allow companies to externalise their non-core technologies,
maintaining a level of involvement within the project and pursuing the
objective of an increase in company competitiveness (Chesbrough et al.,
2006).
Under the open innovation paradigm, companies use a management
strategy aimed to fill the gaps in owned IP and promote the development
of new technologies, through the connection of internal and external ideas
in order to reach the target markets. Thus, the open innovation model can
be used to realise a joint product from a shared project between many
companies and organizations; in these cases, the open approach may
include two requirements:
the innovation project should be divided into operative activities,
classified according to the members of the community;
the project applicant, or the company sponsoring the project, must
provide members of the community with the appropriate tools to
modify, expand and recombine the innovative process.
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Through open innovation, a company-centric model may be transformed
into a network-centric model, favouring dynamic connections between the
company, suppliers, customers and partners.
Nambisan and Sawhney (2008) have identified the network-centric
approach with the MOD (or modification) station model: it is a project
based on the promotion of open innovation around an architecture of preexisting IP, made public by licenses based on non-conventional principles.
Under the MOD station model, an agreement is defined, granting to the
community the ownership of IP rights relating to all the contributions
derived from the open innovation project. The sponsor companies may
increase their reputation as well as increasing their technology and
generating further internal development strategies.
The Collaborative Organization and its Distinctive Features
Over recent years, the Third Industrial Revolution has been changing the
global economic paradigm of capitalism. The new communication/energy
matrix is enabling consumers to collaborate and share goods and services
at a near zero marginal cost in global networks (Rifkin, 2014). In this
scenario, a new model for organizing economic life, called collaborative
commons, has emerged. It is made up of self-managed, mostly
democratically-run organizations.
Collaboration represents the key factor in the development of dynamic
business ecosystems based on technologies and knowledge shared between
individuals, organizations and companies, accelerating growth and
innovation processes (Adler and Heckscher, 2006; Morgan, 2012).
However, collaborative organizations may be the last phase in company
development (Dyer, 2000), becoming part of a complex community,
adopting a mutual collaborative and participating approach based on
collective intelligence (Lévy, 1996; Surowiecki, 2005) to capitalise on the
production of shared value. Collaborative enterprises use free individual
agents who cooperate through the web with the aim of improving a
specific operation or solving a problem.
The largest opportunity for collaborative enterprises to develop open
access-based IP management models is given by the internet. The
interconnectivity and interactivity of web 2.0 (O’Reilly, 2007) means that
organizations can communicate directly with stakeholders and exploit their
knowledge to gain intangible assets. In this way, organizations open up
Modern Trends for the Strategic Use of Intellectual Property Rights
127
their boundaries to make their knowledge available to other individuals
who are capable of developing it. This process, defined as “generativity”
(Zittrain, 2006), involves part of the IP owned by companies being made
available over the web and, therefore, allowing other individuals to
increase or develop further innovation.
To ensure that collaborative organizations are managed effectively,
according to the collaborative commons model (Ostrom, 1990), the
following requirements are needed: a technological platform that allows
information and knowledge to be diffused; incentives for participants who
can supply a direct benefit (money), intrinsic benefits (learning and
personal fulfilment) or relational benefits (reputation among peer
community); well-defined conditions of inclusion, restrictions on
exclusion, sanctions and protocols for self-management.
Companies that implement a collaborative management structure
transform their vertical hierarchic business model into network-type
business models (Trequattrini et al., 2. This type of organization develops,
designs and supplies products and services by using a global fund of talent
that can generate innovation through peer production (Benkler and
Nissenbaum, 2006; Tapscott and Williams, 2007), based on the principles
of open source (Van Wendel de Joode et al., 2003). IP management
strategies based on open source generate profit for the organizations
through the use of connected and complementary services to the shared IP
rights.
The open source model also allows organizations to create standards and
strengthen their business, as a complement to the shared rights. In this
instance, IP management is based on sharing and the authorization to
reproduce, adapt or distribute a software process, a work of art, or a text
for commercial purposes, with the obligation of granting to the community
the result of these modifications and upgrades (Rosen, 2005). As a result,
strategies of collaborative management are based on a new legal model of
IP management; the concept of property is changing from an individual to
a collective perspective (Rose, 1986) and, for this reason, there is the
emerging need to find new legal forms of property management. Thus,
management of IP in collaborative organizations replaces the traditional
legal instruments (patents, industrial secrets, copyrights, and trademarks)
with significantly more flexible license arrangements. For example, the
initiatives relating to general public licenses and copyright licenses, known
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as creative commons licenses (Lessig, 2008), become very important
(Flew, 2005; Snow et al., 2009).
The creative commons licenses provide a number of options by which
authors can mark their content and determine the freedoms that they would
like to extend to others. They can be defined by the following main
requirements: the duty of always indicating the author of the work; a ban
on the use of creative work for commercial purposes or making changes
that damage the author’s reputation; all use of creative work is subject to
the terms set out by the author. In place of “all rights reserved” under
copyrights, the results of these legal-type changes specify, “some rights
reserved” under the creative commons licenses (Von Hippel and Von
Krogh, 2003). The most important examples of collaborative commons
include open source software (Feller and Fitzgerald, 2002; Weber, 2004),
an operative system made visible within a community of developers so
that it can be improved upon through sharing. The economic advantage of
open source software derives from rights not attributed by a free license;
an example is the right to use the brand or distribution mechanism of the
software and its updates.
The logic of the IP collaborative management model relates to the
characteristic of non-rivalry among intangible assets, which do not exhaust
their usefulness if used by several individuals. On the contrary, intangible
assets and their relative IP rights acquire value if their use increases.
Additionally, collaborative management allows companies to possess IP
assets treated as a common fund where part of the rights are protected and
another part shared with the network in which the organization interacts.
This IP management method may help the synchronization and
coordination of the organizations’ activities and efforts that interface with
the environment, forming the basis for collaborative networks that unite
people and knowledge within and without the organization (Benkler, 2006;
Rifkin, 2014).
The objective of IP management strategy is to assimilate shared IP in the
field of cooperation, combining what is learned from the network with
internal skills. In this way, it is possible to create a profit centre based on
IP rights, through which technological development and new collaborative
projects can be supported. Furthermore, business network management
should be implemented according to a bottom-up approach, implementing
a participative management model so that decisions, resources and
strategic activities can be shared with the community. Collaborative
Modern Trends for the Strategic Use of Intellectual Property Rights
129
organization management (Nambisan and Sawhney, 2008) includes
governing the network, the management of knowledge and the
management of IP rights. Network governance implies control of
opportunistic behaviour on the part of entities involved in the company
network (free-riders) and the creation of an environment that stimulates
the interaction and exchange of information and resources.
The main benefits provided by a strategy of collaborative IP management
for organizations can be set out according to the following aspects
(Tapscott and Williams, 2007; Reeves and Deimler, 2011):
Possibility of using external talent, because, for the organization, it
is much more expensive to develop innovations using internal
resources only;
Synchronizing with the needs of users through peer production;
Stimulating the request for complementary products or services; for
example, companies may generate profit through an increase in
service or sales assistance;
Reducing the organizations’ R&D and transaction costs (Coase,
1937) by collaborating with open source communities; this allows
for a drastic reduction in time with regards to the innovation and
creation of more highly customized products that correspond to
consumer requirements;
The possibility of spreading IP related to areas outside the
organization’s core business, preventing competitors from
monopolizing resources;
Connecting owner networks (created through licensing, outsourcing
and joint ventures) with much more open networks, which
stimulates collaboration between peers;
Stimulation of individuals, non-profit research organizations and
governments to generate and share IP, including in the hypothesis
of no financial returns.
A New Model for IP Management Strategies
Since the analysis of existing trends in IP management reveals different
strategies to handle companies’ IP rights, a fact that has emerged is the
need to define, for each company, the degree of structured planning and
that of cognitive self-sufficiency. Defining these two features in
companies is important in establishing the correct strategy for exploiting
IP rights. The degree or necessity for structured planning is considered to
be the possibility or opportunity to plan a company’s business in all
Chapter Six
130
aspects connected with and/or referring to innovation. It depends on a
company’s internal and external features, such as internal R&D efficiency,
the pace of developing innovation affecting the industry and its
competitors’ capabilities.
The degree of cognitive self-sufficiency is defined as the need for external
knowledge, depending on business complexity. A company is seen to have
a low level of cognitive self-sufficiency when it has difficulty in planning
its business because this requires excessive information and resources. On
the contrary, a company is seen to possess a high level of cognitive selfsufficiency when the business requires limited additional knowledge and
resources. Through the combination of these two variables, it is possible to
identify a model whereby companies can understand which IP
management strategy is most suited to their business organization (Figure
3).
Figure 3 – A model of appropriate IP management strategies
High
4. Open IP management strategy
(Open innovation)
Low
Degree of Structured planning
Degree of cognitive self-sufficiency
Low
High
2. Sharing based strategy
(Collaborative organizations)
3. Closed IP dynamic management
1.
No IP management
strategies
As a result of combining these two variables, it is possible to identify four
company behaviours. First, a lack of IP management strategies is
associated with small companies operating in traditional industries, for
which the work involved in IP planning may result in being too expensive
or unnecessary. Second, in the case of companies with a low level of
cognitive self-sufficiency and a low level of planning, due to the
complexity and uncertainty of the business, it may be advisable to
implement a collaborative organizational approach based on sharing
Modern Trends for the Strategic Use of Intellectual Property Rights
131
knowledge, to solve specific problems or improve specific products or
processes.
Third, for companies with a high need for external knowledge and a high
possibility of planning their business, a dynamic IP management directed
towards open innovation processes is considered the most appropriate,
since it gives them the opportunity to separate the innovation project into
activities addressing and involving members of an open community.
Fourth, as a middle strategy, closed IP dynamic management is seen to be
useful for companies with a high level in terms of planning their business,
demonstrating that they own almost all the knowledge they need
internally. Therefore, when considering the specific features of each
company, this model offers a practical framework to identify and evaluate
the most appropriate IP strategy.
Conclusions
Nowadays, new economic paradigms, based on collaborative commons
systems, will have to coexist with traditional IP management models.
Companies, apart from those with a progressive vision of the future who
have introduced collaborative management strategies, have adapted their
IP strategies simply to become more dynamic and adapt to environmental
transformations. The sharing of intangible assets is not, as yet, the
predominant system.
Starting from the analysis of existing trends within company IP
management, it is possible to argue that there is no single strategy for
managing IP assets. However, more innovative companies are moving
beyond the legally-oriented and patent-focused IP departments of the past
to adopt a more strategic and cross-functional approach to IP management,
allowing them to assimilate intellectual property management operations
within their management practices. Therefore, in a long-term view, the
development of company IP management strategies will depend on how
the global capitalistic system evolves and how the concept of property
changes.
This research defines the different trends in IP strategies, conceiving a
framework for company practice in terms of IP management, which
contributes towards enriching the existing literature. Moreover, the
findings of this research offer managers the possibility of picking and
choosing among the IP exploitation strategies to find the one that complies
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best with the company’s reality. Finally, future research needs to be
directed towards validating the proposed model of IP management
strategies through case study research.
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CHAPTER SEVEN
SMART CITY INITIATIVES IN ITALY:
A CASE STUDY OF TURIN
FRANCESCA CULASSO, ELISA GIACOSA
AND GIUSEPPE GROSSI
Introduction
The process of urbanization, which has affected the world population
during the past few decades, has led to a growing relevance of cities. They
have become focal centers for the economic, social and environmental
development and innovation of a country. Governments, as a consequence,
have decentralized a number of public programs and activities to local
authorities, which have, in turn, decided to invest financial resources and
knowledge on smart city projects.
This work would like the reader to firstly understand what the concept of a
smart city is and to be aware of the main measures launched at local level
to support the development of the city of Turin from a smart point of view.
The case which we have selected is significant for several reasons. The
project named SMILE is focused on smart issues, such as mobility,
inclusion, life & health, and energy. The project involves several public
and private partners. Moreover, the city of Turin has decided to develop
another innovative project, named Public Procurement of Innovation
(PPI), focusing on all the services, projects and activities which the city
has externalized to private providers.
The aim of our work is to understand how a city, meaning a Municipal
District, can facilitate the sustainability of its social, economic and
technological environment in order to ensure significant improvements for
the quality of life of its inhabitants, especially with regard to the
phenomenon of urban agglomeration. On the basis of the objectives of this
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research, the following research questions (RQs) were developed: How
can a city become “smart” for agglomeration purposes? What specific
features are needed in smart city initiatives in order to enhance the quality
of life?
This chapter is organised in the following way. In the second paragraph
the concept of smart city is defined by using several of the previous
studies made on the topic. In the third paragraph the method and design of
the research are described. The fourth part is based on the case study of
Turin (the local context and the smart projects introduced during the past
year). In the last part, we present our final reflections and conclusions
based on previous theoretical and empirical considerations which are
useful for both scholars and practitioners (politicians, public managers,
auditors, and consultants).
Literature Review on Smart Cities
Even though there is no general agreement between scholars and
practitioners regarding the proper definition of a smart city, “the idea of
Smart Cities is rooted in the creation and connection of human capital,
social capital and information and communication technology (ICT)
infrastructure in order to generate greater and more sustainable economic
development and a better quality of life” (Manville et al., 2014, p. 18).
In the Glossary of the Digital Agenda for Europe, a smart city is defined as
“a city (that) becomes smart in virtue of strategically leveraging ICT
infrastructures and applications - itself or by creating the right conditions
for others to do so - towards better delivery of benefits - directly and
indirectly - to its citizens. Mentioned benefits include making a city more
sustainable and greener through less energy consumption and more of it
from renewable sources, improving the efficiency of transport and public
services in general, rendering a city’s administration more responsive and
engaging with the citizenry, better and more affordable healthcare as well
as general age-friendliness and issues of urban inclusion. A developed
urban area that creates sustainable economic development and high quality
of life by excelling in multiple key areas; economy, mobility,
environment, people, living, and government. Excelling in these key areas
can be done so through strong human capital, social capital, and/or ICT
infrastructure” (Source: official website of EC Digital Agenda for Europe,
May 2015).
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Smart cities were often identified by a number of relevant dimensions by
previous studies (Shapiro, 2008; Van Soom, 2009), such as: smart
economy; smart mobility, smart environment; smart people; smart living;
and smart governance. Chourabi H. et al. (2012) proposed a framework
“that can be used to characterize how to envision a smart city and design
initiatives, which advance this vision by implementing shared services,
and driving their emerging challenges. The eight clusters of factors
include: 1) Management and organization; 2) Technology; 3) Governance;
4) Policy; 5) People and communities; 6) Economy; 7) Infrastructure; and
8) Natural environment.” We have used this framework to discuss the
features of the Turin case study.
The term smart cities is used in reference to various aspects, which range
from ICT-districts to smart inhabitants in terms of their levels of
education. Caragliu et al. (2011) identified the characteristics proper to a
smart city using previous literature: the utilization of network
infrastructure to improve economic and political efficiency and enable
social, cultural, and urban development; an underlying emphasis on
business-led urban development; a strong focus on the aim of achieving
social inclusion of various urban residents in public services; a stress on
the crucial role of high-tech and creative industries in long-run urban
growth; profound attention to the role of social and relational capital in
urban development; and finally, social and environmental sustainability as
a major component of smart cities. An original approach to the
phenomenon was proposed by Winters (2011, p. 254) who considered
“smart cities to be metropolitan areas with a large share of the adult
population with a college degree. These smart cities are often small and
mid-size metropolitan areas containing flagship state universities”. He also
stated that the growth of smart cities was mostly attributable to population
redistribution within the same state and had little effect on population
growth at state level.
The term smart city clearly refers to the relation between the city
government and its citizens (i.e. good governance or smart governance)
(Lombardi, 2011). Ensuring an economically sustainable development of
public services firstly implies understanding the challenges and
complexities of the governance of public service provisions. In order to
stimulate innovative solutions in the management of these services, more
knowledge is needed regarding the outcome of existing governance
models of public services in terms of sustainability. Public sector reforms
have been mainly introduced with the aim of increasing effectiveness and
efficiency, but with sustainability as a core element for the development of
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141
the public sector, due to the fact that the performance necessarily needs to
indicate social and environmental as well as economic achievements
(Ferraris and Santoro, 2014; Bresciani, 2010; Elkington, 1998).
The triple helix model has recently emerged as a reference framework for
the analysis of knowledge-based innovation systems. It outlines the
complex and reciprocal relationships between the three main participants
in the process of knowledge creation and capitalization: university,
industry and government (Ezkowitz, 2008). Lombardi et al. (2011)
proposed to include a further participant, the civil society, alongside the
university, industry and government. A smart city monitors and integrates
conditions for all “hard infrastructure” (including roads, bridges, tunnels,
rail/subways, airports, seaports, communications, water, power, also major
building) as well as “soft infrastructure” (i.e. social networks and
communities, legal and cultural systems, and various models of ICT).
The notion of “smartness” was developed by Herrschel (2013) as a
mechanism to reconcile conflicting policy ideas and trajectories. He states
that cities, regions and city-regions are a perfect scale to bring different
issues of smart growth together.
During the past few years, growing smart city discourses and initiatives
have been introduced in Italy to support the introduction of a new urban
identity, functioning as a discipline mechanism that can be defined as a
“smart mentality” (Vaniolo, 2014, p. 889). Vaniolo identified three
mechanisms governing the functioning of this smart mentality: the role of
computing practices in the production of urban charts and smart cities
benchmarking analysis at European and Italian levels; the discourse on
public-private management of smart cities, as in several Italian big cities,
Turin, Genoa, Milan, Naples, and Bari; and the responsibilities of cities in
relation to environmental protection, technological development and
quality of life.
Research Methodology and Design
In our work we have adopted a qualitative approach to answer the RQs. In
particular the case study method was thought to be the most suitable way
to meet the objectives (George, 1979; George and McKeown,
1985;Gillham, 2001; Gummesson, 2000; Merriam, 1988; Miles and
Huberman 1994; Stake, 1995), by emphasizing words rather than figures
about specific situations and people involved (Maxwell, 2012). A single
case study, i.e. the city of Turin, was selected for several reasons. Despite
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its various limitations, the single case study was deemed to meet the
desired conditions, including:
unusual access to research for an extended period of time;
review of several variables and access to players over the different
life cycles of the municipality, permitting investigation of all the
multifaceted processes of the activities (Cooper and Morgan,
2008);
the case study of Turin is extreme, representative and leading
(Patton, 1990; Stake, 1995; Yin, 2003a and 2003b). It is extreme,
because the smart city concept has hitherto not been widespread,
whereas now the municipality has turned its attention to the smart
city innovation; it is representative, because Turin is a big Italian
city characterized by the fusion of historical traditions with original
and distinctive ideas; and lastly it is a leading case, because it
combines innovation values with a form of resistance to change.
The first step was to define the different topics of investigation, covering a
wider scenario than the specific goal of this chapter, dedicated to smart
city issues. Heterogeneous information about the municipality was
collated to obtain a full picture of the city and its complexity. The research
project took two years to complete (from 2013 to 2014). This time was
sufficiently representative to review the development of the case study, the
growth and change in knowledge, skills, attitudes, perceptions and
behavior in basic ways over a period of time. Initial data collection was
subsequently continued throughout the duration of the project.
Multiple sources of information were used (Eisenhardt, 1989), since both
qualitative and quantitative sources improve the credibility of findings
(Patton, 1990). Interviews were a useful data source, as they enabled the
phenomenon to be observed at various levels (Alvesson, 2003; Potter and
Wetherell, 1987). Interviews were conducted on an open or semistructured one-to-one basis (Alvesson and Deetz, 2000; Corbetta, 2003),
targeted and characterized by a rich and varied content, not limited to the
issue of the smart city. We conducted 11 interviews with 7 interviewees.
Informants included the City Manager, Head of Strategic Planning, Head
of Quality Project, Head of Development, European Funds, Innovation and
Smart City and three employees. The interviews took approximately one
and a half hours each. The results of the interviews were reviewed
separately by the authors to avoid being influenced by each other’s
interpretations (Atkinson and Shaffir, 1998; Jönssön and Lukka, 2005). A
comparison of the authors’ interpretations was made.
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Other secondary sources were used in addition to interviews. Among them
was a physical presence in the above-mentioned offices (Myers, 2013),
documentary material, including internal reports, documentation taken
from websites and other published material. The information from
interviews and secondary sources was combined together.
The City of Turin: A Case Study
Located in the northwest of Italy, Turin is the capital city of the Province
of Turin and of the Piedmont Region. The last census held in 2011,
recorded a population of 872,000. This number increases to 1.7 million if
the first and second suburban belts of the surrounding metropolitan area
are included. Turin is the fourth Italian city in terms of population, after
Rome, Milan and Naples. In 2006, Turin hosted the 20th Winter Olympics
and it is known throughout the world for its industrial sector, especially
vehicle manufacturing (FIAT automobiles). It is the birthplace of other
well-known global players, including Telecom Italia, Seat Pagine Gialle,
RAI, Lavazza, Cirio, Lancia and the San Paolo Banking Group, which was
merged into the Intesa San Paolo Group. Italian cinema has its origins in
Turin and, for some time now, the city has been a pioneering center for
ICT and technological innovation. It is also home to some important
names in the food industry, particularly in confectionery, where the main
specialty is the production of chocolate and gianduiotto (which takes its
name from the Commedia dell’Arte Gianduja mask, representing the city
itself). Turin is also on the map of the sports world and will be the 2015
European Capital of Sports. Two leading football teams, Juventus Football
Club S.p.A. and Torino Football Club S.p.A., reside here.
The Turin City Council is the administrative body responsible for public
services, ranging from town planning to environmental and landscape
infrastructure management, transport, energy, waste, water, culture and
education, social policies, community services, etc. As part of the Smart
Cities & Communities initiative promoted by the European Union in 2011,
the Turin City Council implemented a process of change, with the
medium- to long-term objective of making the city increasingly smart.
Although the idea of the smart city has many different meanings, when
defining its own vision Turin preferred to give one precise meaning to the
concept. Its chosen definition was sustainable from a social point of view
and also in strictly economic terms, specifically with regard to the effects
of urbanization (urban agglomeration) on the inhabitants.
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For Turin, smart means “environmental care, leading-edge technological
development, energy-saving in buildings, promoting pollution-free
transport and improving the quality of life” (Source: Turin City Council
official website). It also means efficiency, preventing waste of resources,
and effectiveness by increasing the quality and quantity of services
provided. ICT and digital technology are not considered the basis for the
smart city, but rather useful enabling forces. As stated by the City Council
Head of Development, European Funds, Innovation and Smart City (#1):
“Being smart doesn’t just mean proposing ICT solutions for the sake of it.
It means solving social problems, supported by information technology,
among other things.”
In purely organizational and management terms, in order to manage the
project for change, in 2011 the city of Turin set up Fondazione Torino
Smart City per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile, a Foundation with a flexible
structure tasked with coordinating the numerous smart city related
initiatives developed by the Council. The Foundation is made up of a team
of public organizations and institutions, universities, private companies,
companies jointly owned by the city and various associations. It is run by
the Department of Development, European Funds, Innovation and Smart
City, a special function within the Council acting as technical coordinator
of the partners and departments involved in the projects.
In February 2013, the Foundation initiated a process of strategic planning,
aimed at turning Turin into a smart city. The first stage, lasting around six
months, ended with the formalization of a planning document entitled
SMILE, an acronym for Smart Mobility, Inclusion, Life & Health, Energy.
Several contributors to the economic, cultural and technological fabric of
the city helped draft the document, including local government
organizations, the university, the polytechnic, centers of excellence and
research, businesses, foundations and professional associations. A primary
role was played by the Torino Wireless Foundation, established in 2002 by
several national and local institutions (Ministry of Education and
Research, Piedmont Region, Province of Turin, Turin City Council,
Chamber of Commerce) and companies (Telecom Italia,
STMicroelectronics, Motorola, Fiat, Alenia, San Paolo IMI, Unicredit,
Unione Industriale di Torino and ISMB), with the aim of creating an “ICT
Valley” around Turin to take advantage of the local know-how and
expertise. Torino Wireless, the managing body of the Turin ICT district,
took responsibility for creating a national technology cluster, moving
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beyond mere experimentation and research to find solutions that can be
replicated on a wide scale.
The strategic initiatives in the SMILE planning document are grouped into
five programs considered essential for Turin’s objective of becoming a
model smart and inclusive city. As part of a strategic portfolio, these are:
Energy: management of all initiatives and projects related to energy
saving and sustainability setting out rules, commitments and
incentives for energy efficiency;
Inclusion: dedicated effort to address public attention on increasing
sustainability of the city through initiatives to boost digitization and
dematerialization, development of collaborative platforms,
improving the design of public services, creating open data for a
transparent city;
Integration: development of internal organizational models and
associated operational mechanisms, to facilitate the city’s transition
to smart from its core. The scope encompasses defining urban
planning controls and tools with special indicators to measure the
results of the smart city;
Life & health: improvement of community quality of life and
welfare. It includes strategic initiatives such as improving the
environmental quality and reducing waste and pollution;
Mobility: improvement of transport and travelling within the city.
Initiatives include improving urban mobility and cycling.
The SMILE strategic plan is not of a compulsory nature. Its mission, as
described by the Head of Development, European Funds, Innovation and
Smart City (#1), is namely:
“Getting quick tangible results, increasing the level of involvement of
businesses and strategic organizations and implementing operational
projects that are reproducible in a specific area of the city and can then be
disseminated throughout it.”
To facilitate the reproduction of innovative projects, the Turin City
Council has taken part in a project sponsored by ANCI (National
Association of Italian Municipalities), involving the creation of a Smart
City Monitoring Unit to act as a repository for the smart city initiatives of
the various participating towns (around 80). The aim of the monitoring
unit is to enable the reuse and reproduction of the innovative solutions
proposed by the various participating towns, such as the ESCO (Energy
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Service Company) best practices for efficiency, for which the regulatory
plan is simple, but examples are few and far between.
Among the smart city projects of the city of Turin, there is one in the
Integration program, which received the Council’s InnovaTo award, set up
to foster innovative ideas among employees. This particular project was
for Public Procurement of Innovation (PPI) and deserves attention for a
full understanding of the essence of the smart concept. PPI is a business
process for smart management of public innovation contracts, whereby
resources are handled efficiently and public procurement is more
effectively geared to the actual needs of organizations and communities.
Essentially, in PPI public administration is considered a “Smart Buyer”
capable of:
evaluating ex ante whether or not to make certain purchases,
linking the same needs to current and potential needs and
considering the consistency of certain procurement contracts with
the broader strategies formulated by top management;
reviewing the innovative potential of the procurement markets;
issuing smart calls for tender, to address current and future
technological problems.
The current procurement process of the Turin City Council is supervised,
in purely organizational terms, through a “Central Service” called
Contracts and Procurements (Contratti e Appalti). Its task is to verify the
legal and administrative validity and handling of published tender
procedures. This staff-level unit works alongside the line organizational
units, responsible for defining and implementing the more specifically
technical procurement activities. There are roughly 106 cost centers.
Coordinating legal requirements and technical needs are the responsibility
of the Treasury Department, which also controls purchasing of
standardized goods for all the Council’s organizational units. Some
departments have project groups, which promote various kinds of
contracting, such as “green procurement contracts” for the Environment
Department, “social contracts” for Development, European Funds,
Innovation and Smart City, etc. To date, the Council has only used PPI on
an experimental basis, as part of its European projects, through which,
nevertheless, it is acquiring expertise and credibility with the outside
world.
One of the Council employees recognized for the innovative PPI project
(#2) says:
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“There is considerable fragmentation in the procurement process and the
current model has not yet yielded excellent PPI results. In addition, there
are no databases with analytical information about procurement operations
or purchasing units, or historical databases collecting information about
suppliers. However, the considerable legal and technical know-how of the
Council (in each procurement area) and existing organizational culture can
be applied for a reconsideration of the processes and optimum use of
existing human resources.”
Hence, the PPI project has the objectives of rewriting the procurement
process from scratch and creating a permanent task force to deal with the
new PPI process across all departments. In particular, the new process will
include the definition of the procurement strategy and the strategic
procurement plan, which will have a life cycle of three years to be
converted to an annual program based on a rolling budget. Then, a review
of the sectors of the Council involved in the innovation procurement will
be required to evaluate the possibility of activating PPI (or similar
programs) and establishing a close dialogue with market operators. The
identification of the best legal and administrative procedures will be made
as well as technical consulting for the preliminary assessment of the actual
innovation potential of each solution and control of the acquired solutions.
At full capacity, the PPI task force should operate with a “category
management” consisting of “innovation facilitators” specialized in
different areas of procurement, which must liaise with the various
technical departments. The Human Resources Management Service will
work with the Head of the task force to identify the best people for the
team, and any job rotation strategies.
The employee (#2) explains:
“It is essential to define training courses for the task force, to set up a
dedicated e-learning portal for the employees involved, to provide on-thejob coaching modules for internal buyers, to use the PPI technology
platform for widespread communication.”
Furthermore (#2):
“It will be necessary to devise procedures for innovation procurement
through modelling and online guidelines on standardization, launch and
management of PPI, e.g. Prior Information Notices, guidelines procedures
for governing pre-tender comparison meetings with the market, and
innovative co-design models.”
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Also (#2):
“An internal database of Council tender procedures needs to be established
in order to have a record of tenders (all types) and data on the procurement
area, costs and suppliers, the latter being of special interest not least for
supply relationship management purposes.”
Lastly (#2):
“Monitoring tools, performance assessment and innovation reporting must
be defined, possibly drafting a smart city balance sheet (a new model for
social reporting of the use of public resources).”
Discussion
The case study described lends itself to some observations about the
project for change being implemented by the Turin City Council covering
innovation, sustainability and smartness. In fact, from the management
aspect the Turin City Council, although not profit-oriented, must be
efficient to ensure its survival. This is assessed by reviewing what tools
the Council has devised to address the challenge of smart growth and
whether it has been able to identify some of the aspects that are key to
becoming smart and how it tried to govern and monitor their progress
(RQs).
These observations were based on the theoretical model proposed by
Chourabi H. et al. (2102), not intending “to produce a set of components
to rank smart cities”, but to test the framework itself.
The first cluster, Management and Organization, concerns issues such as
the organizational structure of the project, team skills and expertise,
leadership, identification of clear and realistic goals, the involvement of
relevant stakeholders, engagement of the end user, planning,
communication, training, funding and review of current and best practices
(Gil Garcia and Pardo, 2005). Turin opted for the process of urban
agglomeration, through the introduction of innovation processes, by
clearly defining its pivotal role and adopting strategic planning to
coherently identify and implement initiatives, within the context of
multiple stakeholders. The Council has called on major stakeholders,
setting up an ad hoc Foundation responsible for promoting consensus
among all stakeholders in the area on the definition of targets to focus on.
For each project within the SMILE master plan the following were
defined:
Smart City Initiatives in Italy
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place where it will be developed
who is responsible for development and running
description of planned activities
expected benefits
connections with other existing initiatives
investment needed.
Each project is available online on the Fondazione Torino Smart City
website and residents have been asked to contribute their views and
comments, providing email addresses for further exchanges.
The city administration plays a key role in strategic planning, managing
and organizing the smart process and subsequent operational implications,
not least through the Development, European Funds, Innovation and Smart
City Unit, which reports directly to the Council’s Department of Trade,
Employment, Innovation and Information Systems. This internal unit,
dynamic and not vertically integrated within the Council’s hierarchy,
operates across promoting the coordination of all smart initiatives of
Fondazione Torino Smart City, also participating in broader strategic plans
of the metropolitan area supported by other foundations in which the
Council has a stake (e.g. Torino Strategica). Moreover, it is responsible for
handling all European and local projects, ensuring the city’s share in
various funded projects. A critical factor to be monitored and insisted upon
as regards management and organization to prevent resistance to change,
is top and middle management culture. The same supervisor (#1) states:
“Public administrators should be able to switch jobs. However, supervisors
are not selected for new jobs and traditional methods still prevail when it
comes to acquiring new skills. Young people must be introduced with
incentives to innovate. Promoters of change get little encouragement. At
best, they work with highly motivated colleagues within their department,
but it is a matter of chance. Also, everything is fine while things go well,
but anyhow one has to struggle against the skepticism of many. However,
in economically hard times, those able to create resources can win over the
conservative minded.”
The second cluster, Technology, concerns “the collection of smart
computing technologies applied to infrastructure components and services.
Smart computing refers to a new generation of integrated hardware and
software and network technologies that provide IT systems with real-time
awareness of the real world and advanced analytics, to help people make
more intelligent decisions about alternatives and actions, that will optimize
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business processes and business balance sheet results” (Washburn et al.,
2010). As Turin City Council considers technology the enabling factor
required to develop its ideal smart and sustainable city, it has sought the
involvement of Torino Wireless in strategic planning to draft the SMILE
master plan. The SMILE plan includes numerous social inclusion projects
and initiatives to be implemented using ICT tools. Careful monitoring to
ensure that innovative ICT technology will not remain the privilege for a
few will be essential to avoid the digital divide and inequality.
The third cluster, Governance, is closely related to four major issues, i.e.
stakeholder collaboration, support of leadership, structure of alliances and
working under different jurisdictions (Scholl H.J. et al., 2009). By setting
up Fondazione Torino Smart City, the City Council sought to solve the
problem of resistance to change, indeed the smart project is designed to
involve multiple stakeholders and as such needs special governance to
manage the various strategic initiatives. Fondazione Torino Smart City
ensures cooperation among the stakeholders and an effective structure of
alliances, as well as citizen participation, public/private partnership and
accountable and transparent information infrastructure. Also, the
leadership is supported by managerial team within the organizational
structure of the town, directly sponsored by the City Manager.
The fourth cluster, Policy Context, has to do with the transformation from
ordinary (not smart) to smart city, which also entails the interaction
between technology and political and institutional factors. Institutional
preparedness, i.e. removing legal and regulatory barriers, is needed for
smooth implementation of smart city initiatives (Mauher M. and
Smokvina V., 2006). Through the SMILE strategic plan, the city of Turin
aimed to highlight the need of a change in policies, especially considering
that a government cannot innovate without a regulatory process to drive
policy. With the SMILE strategic plan, the Council wanted to underline
what potential activities public administration and research institutions
could introduce in a synergistic and collaborative framework where
everybody contributes their individual skills. This tool, and the entire
strategic planning process for city innovation, could also stimulate the
legislator to rethink laws and regulations and formulate new, more suitable
and user-friendly solutions for the smart city model.
The fifth cluster, People and Communication, refers to encouraging
participation by city residents, “not only as individuals, but also as
communities and groups and their respective wants and needs within
cities” (Chourabi H. et al., 2102). During formulation of the SMILE
Smart City Initiatives in Italy
151
master plan, city residents were provided with top-down information
concerning the aims and scope of the process, and they were given the
opportunity to interact in many different ways with the Council and the
other institutions involved. For example, they were asked to answer
specific questions on the websites or on social media, or take part in Smart
City Weeks, dedicated to discussions in different parts of the city, in order
to understand the demand for innovation and how the smart and
sustainable city concept can be readable to citizens. The Inclusion program
of the SMILE master plan also includes numerous initiatives and projects
to improve public participation in the process of the sustainable city.
The sixth cluster, Economy, covering the city’s current and prospective
competitiveness, is closely related to “innovation, entrepreneurship,
trademarks, productivity and flexibility of the labor market, as well as
integration in the national and global market” (Giffingeret al., 2007). To
be smart, a city should develop economically, as the economy is the most
important key driver of all smart city initiatives. This can be regarded as a
virtual cycle, in which the economic development generated by smart city
initiatives, such as upgrading information technology capabilities, can
induce change in business and industry, create new business and job
opportunities and improve productivity and efficiency, thereby further
enhancing smartness. In this respect, Turin has made efforts to sustain
environmental competitiveness, by helping reverse deindustrialization and
revitalize historic centers. SMILE outlines initiatives to promote tourism
and the city’s cultural and historic heritage through experience design
initiatives (the introduction of new technology and projects on historic
buildings and places of cultural heritage to maximize the experience of
citizens and tourists), to improve quality in the traditional food sector, and
create new, innovative business models for project design and
telecommunications.
The seventh cluster, Built Infrastructure, considers the availability of ICT
infrastructure in the city, such as fiber optic channels, Wi-Fi networks,
wireless hotspots, kiosks, service-oriented information systems (Chourabi
H. et al., 2102), and the transformation and requalification of traditional
buildings and infrastructure. All five programs of SMILE emphasize this
strategic aspect, in terms of both investment to promote integration across
government systems and availability of software and applications for the
public and for the requalification of historic centers.
The last cluster, Natural Environment, addresses the responsibility of the
smart city for safeguarding natural resources and associated infrastructure,
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Chapter Seven
such as waterways, sewers, and green areas (Hall R.E., 2000), which have
a direct impact on the life and health of city dwellers. Many smart city
initiatives in the SMILE document are about improving the sustainability
of the city through a commitment to abate air and noise pollution, to waste
recycling and to fight illegal waste dumping, to monitor the risk of
flooding and geological emergencies, etc., and to safeguard the rich world
famous history of Italian cities and towns.
Conclusion
The eight clusters of critical elements necessary to achieve smart city
status have been applied to Turin by creating a systematic framework and
adopting an organic planning approach resulting in the SMILE master
plan. This document, the first of its kind in Italy, paves the way for cities
intending to become smart and sustainable. Careful strategic planning is
required to define objectives, actions and resources, especially in a multidimensional, multiple stakeholder context.
In response to RQs, to achieve smart status an original idea of city is
needed, together with initiatives for implementation, forecasting and
comparison with similar successful cases of other cities around the world.
The ensuing organizational structure must be able to set up and supervise
the planning process for the smart city, which should run across functions
and be multi-stakeholder in nature. Also, it must coordinate internally- and
externally-generated projects and initiatives, identifying and encouraging
synergies among participants in the process of innovation. The Mayor of
Turin, Piero Fassino, summed it up:
“It’s like putting together the pieces of a puzzle.”
Primarily, a smart city must define its medium-term aim, plan consistent
actions and initiatives, and muster all public or urban policies, which,
together with technology, will trigger a mechanism for widespread
prosperity. This includes facilitating a competitive business environment
involving the public and fostering top-down decision-making.
Constraints to the success of the planning process include a cultural
resistance on the part of the personnel of the local Council, and a slowacting national legislative machine in updating laws and regulations to the
innovations taking place at the local administration level in Italy. It is up to
the legislator to lay down the statutory instruments empowering local
Smart City Initiatives in Italy
153
authorities to enforce rules and directives, who otherwise will fail to
ensure applicability in the real world.
The main limitation is that our study is based on a single initiative of smart
city in Italy, which makes it difficult to generalize our conclusions. Even if
our case study is extreme, representative and leading, it could be useful to
extend our research data analysis with multiple-case studies, with the
purpose to compare strategic approaches and smart initiatives adopted by
different Italian and European cities.
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CHAPTER EIGHT
NEW VENTURE GROWTH
FROM START-UP TO SCALE-UP
ALESSIA PISONI AND ALBERTO ONETTI
Introduction
In the last years, the global economic environment has undergone dramatic
changes. First of all, the financial crisis of 2008 has left an indelible mark
on economic and financial structures worldwide. In most cases, the
financial crisis was just the edge of the difficulties that developed
economies were facing for many years. Keen competition from players of
developing/emerging countries, slow growth rate and depression/recession
of their economies were among the major problems that more or less all
the Western developed economies were challenging.
In this scenario, entrepreneurial activity through the exploration and
exploitation of new opportunities (Venkataraman, 1997) and the
implementation of new innovative value propositions and business models
(Onetti et al., 2012) able to grow in this new competitive landscape, is of
crucial importance for all the economies. The positive impact that
entrepreneurship has on economic growth, innovation and job creation has
been proved (Reynolds et al., 2001)1. However, new venture creations per
se do not imply societal wealth creation. A growing body of evidence has
shown that it is the young high-growth firms that foster innovation and job
creation (Stangler and Kedrosky, 2010).
Therefore just new firm counts may be misleading. In order to contribute
to economic progress, startups are supposed to survive, break the early
1
Recent studies (see inter alia, Stangler and Kedrosky, 2010) show that startups
are accountable for almost all the new jobs created in the United States (about
63%), net of jobs lost.
New Venture Growth from Start-up to Scale-up
157
stage barrier, grow and scale-up. A recent model presented by WEF
(2014) “A Life Cycle Model for Entrepreneurship” supports this approach
to fostering Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship based on three stages:
Stand-up, Start-up and Scale-up. In the first step, called Stand-up, the
individual/team of individuals, are inspired and prepared/willing to be an
entrepreneur or join an innovative venture. The second phase, Start-up, is
characterized by concept development and business model
implementation. The founders are involved in making the innovative
organization a viable, operating venture, in particular they focus on
securing the required financial and human capital and increasing the
likelihood for the business to break even. In the Scale-up phase all the
efforts are directed in assessing conditions to expand the company in terms
of market access, revenues, added value and number of employees.
Many governments, as part of entrepreneurial ecosystems, are therefore
trying to actively promote entrepreneurship/new ventures’ scale-up
through various initiatives. Also the European Union has shown a
renovated interest2 in new innovative high-growth ventures operating in
high-tech sectors, the so called scaleups3. The aim of these programs is not
to foster new business creations per se, but to support new ventures in
gathering the resources to enable them to scale (move from startup phase
to scaleup one), ie to break the early stage barriers.
Enterprise growth has been studied by scholars for many years (Gupta et
al., 2013). For startups, growth is an unavoidable and desirable condition
in order to survive. New ventures are subject to a liability of newness
where, in the absence of growth, their survival rate may be significantly
reduced (Bruderl et al., 1992). This chapter focuses on new ventures’ early
growth experience, that is crucial to understand the critical phase between
start-up and scale-up, the critical phase in which a startup breaks the early
stage barrier. In doing so, we review extant literature on entrepreneurial
profiles (i.e. founders’ characteristics) focusing on the relationship
2
The European Commission has a new Sector, called Startup Europe, which aims
at supporting the startup ecosystems at European level. Additionally, a specific
initiative, called “Startup Europe Partnership”, focused on exploiting the growth of
the most promising European startups, has been launched at World Economic
Forum in January 2014.
3
According to Onetti (2014), “a scaleup can be defined as a development-stage
business, specific to high technology markets, that is looking at growth in terms of
market access, revenues, and number of employees, adding value by identifying
and realizing win-win opportunities for collaboration with established companies”.
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Chapter Eight
between human capital and new venture growth. The studies to be
considered were identified by a methodological process that combined
electronic means with manual search (Rialp et al., 2005; Coviello and
Jones, 2004; Keupp and Gassmann, 2009). The use of electronic tools as a
way of search was conducted through keywords web search (scanning
Ebsco- bibliographic database host as well as Scopus and by searching
other Internet resources, such as Google). In addition to this, a manual
search, based largely upon citation analysis, was also conducted for
identifying other possible contributions in edited books of readings,
refereed journal articles as well as conference proceedings and workingpapers which, in spite of being relevant for this study, had not been
identified electronically.
The chapter is structured in three sections. In the first part, an overview of
new venture growth definition is presented. The second part, summarizes
the results of a literature review on entrepreneurial characteristics affecting
new venture growth. Future research directions conclude the chapter.
How to Measure New Venture Growth
Typically a firm’s growth can be measured by considering different
aspects such as cash flow, net income, profitability indexes, sales growth,
market share, employment, customer base and so on (Gilbert et al., 2006).
However, not all these measures are applicable to all ventures when
considering their stage of development. There is a marked difference
between young and growing ventures (the above mentioned startups and
scaleups) and large mature established ones. The typical indicators taken
into consideration to define and measure an established firm’s growth
regards profitability and cash-flow. These conventional indicators of
performance are not relevant/applicable to new ventures/very young firms
since in their first years of life they are negative or not available (Stuart et
al., 1999).
As previously mentioned, in the last years scholars and practitioners show
an increasing interest towards new venture growth. But how do scholars
measure new venture growth? Specifically, which is the most
appropriate/common measure of new ventures’ early growth?
The typical measures of growth are sales growth and employment growth.
Sales growth regards “change in amount” over time. Sales growth
indicates that customers are increasingly adopting the new product/service
(Robinson, 1999). It is an important measure of growth since it also
New Venture Growth from Start-up to Scale-up
159
represents for the firm the future possibility to re-invest profits and acquire
new resources. However, sales obviously depend on the availability of
products and services to be sold. Therefore, this measure of growth could
not be considered in some high-tech industries spending many years in
developing their first new products to sell. Furthermore, sales growth
cannot be used in some web based businesses, e.g. the companies
developing mobile/desktop applications at a very early stage; in such cases
customers’ acquisition could be measured also in terms of number of
active users (Quinn and Cameron, 1983).
For all these reasons, sales growth is used to measure the growth of new
ventures that are no more in the very early stage (and exit the stand-up
phase). Similarly, it is difficult to implement International growth
measures based on the ratio between foreign sales and total sales of the
firm.
Employment growth refers to change in the number of individuals
employed in the company. A variation in the number of employees reflects
a development in the organizational composition. At the very beginning
the company headcount is limited to the founding team, i.e. founders
working both full time and part time. When employment growth occurs
the firm acquires new human capital, which in turn can boost the growth
of the company. Then it can be seen as a proxy/predictor of future growth.
Employment growth is also generally recognized as less commercially
sensitive than sales growth and can be applied also when the firm doesn’t
have a product or service on sale (i.e. companies looking for grabbing
market shares by adopting free or freemium business models). Moreover,
information about the number of employees is usually easy to obtain and
usually is not manipulated in order to reduce taxable net income.
However, as pointed out by Storey (1994), employment growth is less
correlated with profitability than other indicators such as sales growth.
While sales growth has a direct impact on profitability and cash flow,
employment growth could not be associated with sustainable growth when
considering the future profitability of the company. For all these reasons,
employment growth is usually considered along with other indicators of
growth.
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Table 1: Traditional firm’s growth measures
Measures
Operationalization
Typical measures
Sales growth
“change in amount”
over time
Employment
growth
International
growth
“change in amount”
over time
Pros/cons
- Clearly indicates that customers are
increasingly adopting the new
product
- Proxy of future possibilities to reinvest profits
- Not always available in the early
stage (e.g. no products ready to
sell)
- A possible proxy of customers’
acquisition could be the number of
active users (e.g. web based
business)
- Reflects a development in the
organizational composition
- New employed human capital is a
proxy of future firm’s growth
- Less commercially sensitive than
sales growth
- Is less correlated with profitability
- Usually not considered alone, but
along with other growth indicators
- Of particular interest for studies
related to INVs and Born Globals
- Depending on the availability of
products to be sold is not always
available in the early stage
Foreign sales/total
revenue; No. of
foreign market
reached; No. of
international R&D
partnership
Source: own elaboration based on literature review
Due to the limitations of the above mentioned measures of growth, when
referring to early stage growth, scholars introduced along the years other
innovative/alternative indicators of growth. These are: variation in the
range of products offered, time to IPO, equity evaluation, growth of total
assets, and financial capital raised.
The difference in range of products offered to the market at the end of a
certain period of time from the creation of the new venture has been used
to measure growth (Patel et al., 2011). Scholars first apply this indicator to
the software industry. In this case the range of products could be
considered as a proxy of the technological portfolio of the company and
therefore a measure of growth. This indicator is not applicable when the
New Venture Growth from Start-up to Scale-up
161
purpose of the study is the comparison among new ventures belonging to
different industries, because some companies grow with very few
products, while other companies apply marked product differentiation
strategies. Additionally, many innovative startups are adopting strongly
focused strategies and then this indicator does not allow to measure their
progress.
A more interesting early stage measure for growth is the time to IPO of
high technology startups (Chang, 2004; Stuart et al, 1999; Kim and
Heshmati, 2010). The studies applying the time to IPO measure it by
months since the date of establishment of the new venture. These studies
aim at finding out whether an earlier IPO of firms leads to better
performance of firms. There are many reasons for considering the IPO
event as a new venture performance indicator in the early stage. First, the
IPO is an important turning point for a new venture, for entrepreneurs and
for investors (Kim and Heshmati, 2010). The IPO transforms a privately
held venture into a publicly owned company. Investors typically look for
an exit of the startup as soon as possible to realize their profits and reinvest the proceeds in other startups. For entrepreneurs, the IPO is an
opportunity to exchange stock for cash and obtain personal gains. For a
startup, the IPO is a means for raising capital to boost the business. Thus,
the IPO highlights that the new venture reached an important milestone
and indicates the firm is ready for further growth (Sohn et al., 2012). This
measure has been particularly used in studies on internet new ventures
(Chang, 2004). The limit of this proxy is that many companies are not
targeting an IPO (this is typical for non-venture-backed companies and for
companies either operating in niche businesses or addressing smallmedium sized target markets).
The use of equity evaluation is another attempt scholars made in order to
operationalize the variable growth. Every time a startup receives a venture
round of funding, a valuation event occurs. The measure of growth is
calculated in terms of difference with the valuation received in the prior
round (Davila et al., 2003). A possible limitation in the adoption of such a
measure of growth is that these data are not public.
New ventures’ processes of development/growth need to mobilize
resources to form a resource base capable of allowing the company to
generate market returns (Garnsey et al., 2006). In this respect, scholars
develop other two measures of growth taking into account the increase in
amount of resources available for the new ventures, i.e. growth of total
assets and financial capital raised to date.
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Accordingly, Helmers and Rogers (2011) propose to measure the growth
of total assets during the new venture’s first years of life. In doing so, one
can measure the increase in the level of investments in the firm along the
years. Authors argue that data on “total assets” are usually easy to obtain.
Last but not least, financial capital raised to date could be considered as
an important measure of growth. In particular early stage equity financing
plays a critical role in the survival and successful development of new
high-growth ventures (Wetzel, 1986; Mason and Harrison, 2000; Onetti,
2014). Several studies find out that lack of financial resources is the most
limiting factor for startups’ growth (Boeker, 1989). The acquisition of
financial capital allows the firm to acquire other resources (i.e. human
capital - talented employees - and or technological resources) that are
fundamental for the development of the enterprise, thus it is a good
predictor also for the future growth of the firm (Davila et al., 2003).
Accordingly, Davila, Foster and Gupta (2003) examine the evolution of
employees growth around the time of a round of financing and found a
positive relationship between the growth of the financial valuation of the
startup and the changes in the number of employees over successive
rounds of financing. Furthermore, if financial resources are collected from
investors, it implies a growing acceptance of the new venture by the
environment (Alsos et al., 2006). Recent studies indicate that angel
investors are the major source of seed and start-up capital for new ventures
in the US and Europe (Mason and Harrison, 2000; Sohl et al., 2000).
Furthermore, the acquisition of angel capital can be a crucial step in
receiving institutional venture capital (Mason and Harrison, 2000) to
further boost the new venture business and consequently growth. Shane
and Stuart’s study (2002) argues that the cumulative amount of VC
funding helps the startups go faster to the IPO.
New Venture Growth from Start-up to Scale-up
163
Table 2: New ventures’ early growth experience: summary of
measures
Measures
Operationalization
Pros/cons
Alternative measures (complementary or substitute)
Difference in
“change in amount”
- Applicable to software industry as a
range of
over time
proxy of the technological portfolio
product offered
of the company
- Not applicable when the study
compares new ventures belonging
to different industries
Time to IPO
No. of months from
- Applicable mainly to internet new
the date of new
ventures
venture
- The IPO is an important turning
establishment and
point for the company and indicates
IPO date
that the firm is ready for further
growth
- Many companies are not targeting
an IPO
Equity
“change in amount”
- These data are not public/difficult
evaluation
over time
to obtain
(difference between
previous valuation
and following one)
Growth of total “change in amount”
- Measure of new ventures’ increase
assets
over time
in the level of investments (proxy
of the amount of available
resources)
Financial
“change in amount”
- Early stage equity financing is
capital raised
over time
critical for the survival and
to date
subsequent growth of the new
venture
- Proxy of future possibility to
acquire resources (human capital
and technological)
- Some scholars argue is an indirect
measure of growth
Source: own elaboration based on literature review
As shown above new ventures’ early growth experience remains a
multifaceted phenomenon. Heterogeneity regards first of all the
appropriate measures scholars use to identify new ventures’ growth in
their early stage of development. Typically, a company’s growth is
characterized by sales and employment growth. When considering new
ventures, and in particular early stage growth, these two measures can be
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accompanied and to some extent also replaced by accumulation of assets
and of financial capital. Furthermore, according to Garnsey et al. (2006)
the study of new venture growth suffers from a lack of comparison
between consistent measures of a company’s performance and the way
these change over the company’s life.
Factors Influencing New Venture Growth
Literature Review on Entrepreneur’s Characteristics
Among the existing models of new venture growth, the seminal work of
Sandberg (1986) and subsequent/deriving ones (Sandberg and Hofer,
1987) define new venture performance as a function of the founding
entrepreneur(s), industry structure, venture strategy and resources as well
as the organizational structure, processes and systems. Other models of
growth mainly focus on the impact that entrepreneurs/founding teams’
characteristics exert on growth (Thakur, 1999; Baum et al., 2001). Also
Penrose (1959) identifies entrepreneurship as a key element in her theory
on the growth of the firm because entrepreneurs explore and exploit
market opportunities to bring into existence “future” goods and services.
The entrepreneurship literature posits that new ventures’ performance/
success is directly related to entrepreneurs’ characteristics. Specifically,
many researchers examine the entrepreneur’s characteristics to determine
the ones that are most likely to influence new ventures’ growth. Decisions
are made by individuals and are influenced by individual-related
characteristics. This is particularly true when considering small firms
(Bloodgood et al., 1996). The different ways the entrepreneurs select
information/knowledge (Liesch and Knight, 1999), leverage personal
business network and exploit strategic opportunities (Venkataraman, 1997)
is crucial to understand a company’s growth path.
Extensive research examines a wide range of an entrepreneur’s personality
traits. Scholars studying entrepreneurship make a first distinction between
entrepreneurs’ basic demographic factors (i.e. age, gender) and human
capital, being the latter the combination of skills and knowledge that
individuals acquire through education, previous work and entrepreneurial
experience (Becker, 1964). In the following pages, all the above
mentioned features will be analysed in depth, both at entrepreneur
(individual) level and at entrepreneurial team level, as predictors of new
venture growth (highlighting the direct/indirect, positive/negative effects
on the growth of the firms).
New Venture Growth from Start-up to Scale-up
165
Entrepreneurs’ age and gender are common variables scholars study when
focusing on entrepreneurs’ basic demographic factors.
Specifically, the variable age is in almost every study investigating the
relation between entrepreneurs’ characteristics and new venture growth. In
general, scholars argue that focus on opportunities decreases with age.
Empirical research demonstrates that young adults have a stronger focus
on opportunities than older adults (Zacher and Frese, 2011). Risk aversion
as well as the adoption of responsible behaviours are likely to grow with
age (Timmons and Spinelli, 2010). Sheehy (1976) suggests that young
entrepreneurs are in the “trying twenties”, a particular “stage” where all
things seem possible and this is the time of opportunity. By contrast, to
recognise an opportunity, a certain degree of domain-specific knowledge
is required. Furthermore young entrepreneurs face greater difficulties in
fund raising (especially from institutional investors) compared to their
elder peers (Ierapetritis et al, 2010). Recent studies show that startups
exhibiting faster growth rates are led by entrepreneurs ranging between
25-54 years old (Honjo, 2004).
The existence of a gap between men and women in entrepreneurship is a
more recent field of study, which is attracting increasing academic
attention (Hughes et al., 2012). Extensive research that investigates on the
differences between businesses run by male and female entrepreneurs has
been carried out by scholars from several countries. Several scholars have
focused their attention on performances and particularly on the differences
in the growth rate of the companies founded by females and their male
counterparts, highlighting the existence of a gender effect (Alsos et al.,
2006). The result is that, typically, women-owned businesses are often
described as low performing in terms of revenues, size and rate of growth
(Cliff, 1998). Reasons for that are once again ascribable to the fundraising
process. Scholars outlined the difficulties that female entrepreneurs face in
the early stage phases of a startup arguing that women entrepreneurs start
companies with lower funding (Rosa et al., 1996) and that women-led
startups are undercapitalized (Brush et al., 2004). According to Fischer,
Reuber and Dyke (1993) there are mainly two theoretical perspectives to
explain such differences in performance between women- and men-owned
ventures. On the one hand, they suggest that women are disadvantaged in
accessing resources, i.e. in terms of human capital (education and working
experiences) or financial capital. On the other hand, women have a
different attitude towards risk and therefore adopt a different approach to
business. More recent studies on women led startups highlight that there is
no empirical evidence that female-entrepreneurs consciously choose to
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establish small firms or organizations that grow less or slowly when
compared to men’s companies, because of different attitudes toward risk
or different values than their male-counterpart (Pisoni and Bielli, 2015).
As previously mentioned, human capital is a broader definition
encompassing many aspects of analysis, i.e. level of education, previous
work/entrepreneurial experience (Becker, 1964).
Education is one of the most frequently examined components of human
capital. The educational level reached by an entrepreneur in school and
vocational training can be considered as a proxy of the knowledge
acquired/gained by the entrepreneur before initiating a startup (Rauch and
Rijsdijk, 2013). Formal education shapes the knowledge, skills and
perspectives that a person brings to task. Education is seen as providing
the necessary cognitive skills to adapt to environmental changes (Hatch
and Dyer, 2004). Furthermore, entrepreneurs may also leverage their
knowledge and the social contacts generated through the education system
to acquire resources. Extant research highlights how an entrepreneur’s
educational background/level positively impacts on new venture growth
(Sapienza and Grimm, 1997; Rauch and Rijsdijk, 2013; Honjo, 2004;
Colombo and Grilli, 2005; 2010; Barringer et al., 2003; Capellaras and
Rabertino, 2008). Educational level helps entrepreneurs in recognizing
(and exploiting) opportunities and in developing their own business
network (Littunen and Niittykangas, 2010; Schutjens and Wever, 2000). A
few authors identified a non-significant or even negative relation between
educational level and new ventures’ growth (Phong and Yoshi, 2009;
Lash, Le Roy and Yami, 2007). However, a country-specific effect may
have affected these latter results being that these studies related to
transition or emerging economies.
Entrepreneurs’ prior work experience has been considered in many studies
as a proxy of skills and competencies. Prior work experience related
variables take into consideration years of work, function/role played and
industry of employment. The number and variety of prior work
experiences (Lazear, 2004; Dahl and Reichstein, 2007) is also an
important aspect. The required knowledge to take business decisions often
arises from daily work experience one accrued in a lifetime. The previous
company, where the entrepreneur has worked, has provided him models of
organization and practical skills useful for his future tasks (Beckman,
2006). It has been argued that an entrepreneur with similar experience
takes better decisions than an entrepreneur who lacks such experience.
Colombo and Grilli (2005) show that new technology-based firms
New Venture Growth from Start-up to Scale-up
167
(NTBFs) established by individuals who have a long work experience in
technical functions in the same industry of the new venture exhibit
superior growth rates. By contrast, work experience in other industries or
in the same industry, but in commercial functions, seems not to affect new
ventures’ growth. A wide range of studies corroborates the idea that
experience is an important catalyst for high level of new ventures’ growth
(Cooper et al., 1994; Mai and Zheng, 2013; Littunen and Niittykangas,
2010; Baum and Bird, 2010). Sapienza, Autio, George and Zahra (2006),
highlight that following international strategies increases the probability of
sales growth and of failure at the same time, but managerial experience
allows to increase the positive effect of internationalization by reducing
the probability of failure simultaneously. By contrast, a few studies show
that too much knowledge has a non-significant (Sharder and Siegel, 2007)
or even negative impact on sales (and sometimes also on employment)
growth of new ventures (Chrisman et al., 2005).
Prior entrepreneurial experience has a positive impact on new venture
growth too (Baum et al., 2001; Colombo and Grilli, 2005). As regards
previous entrepreneurial experience, studies often refer to “serial
entrepreneurship”, defined as the propensity to start-up more than one
company in one’s life, (Delmar and Shane, 2006). Empirical evidence as
well as business case analysis supports the idea that entrepreneurial startup
experience increases the odds of venture success (Dyke et al., 1992;
Presutti et al., 2008).
Other studies ascribable to the stream of research of “personality
perspective/approach”, i.e. an individual’s unique personality is assumed
as the key driving force for entrepreneurial activity, investigate an
entrepreneur’s motivation and cognitive features. Many authors
distinguish entrepreneurs from other individuals by looking for particular
cognitive traits, such as risk propensity, need for achievement and selfconfidence in order to detect the individual traits that delineate the
successful entrepreneur (Timmons and Spinelli, 2010). However,
entrepreneurs’ personality traits are difficult to be measured and it’s
therefore difficult to find a direct relation with new venture growth.
Entrepreneurs are considered to have a high risk-taking propensity, mainly
because of their high optimism about their capabilities to run a business
and about the future market performance (Hmieleski and Baron, 2009).
Moreover they are considered to have an intern locus of control, i.e. they
believe they can control events that affect their life. Extant research on
entrepreneurs’ risk-taking propensity and its effect on new venture growth
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shows controversial results. According to Hmieleski and Baron (2009)
entrepreneurs characterized by a too high level of optimism tend to
underestimate negative information having a negative impact on sales and
employment growth. By contrast, Gundry and Welsh (2001) found out that
high growth entrepreneurs are more ambitious and committed – with high
risk propensity and ready to sacrifice part of their personal life for the
company. Kiss, Williams and Houghton’s contribution (2013)
corroborates these results by identifying the positive effect that
entrepreneurs’ risk propensity has on new ventures’ international growth.
Individuals initiate entrepreneurial careers for different reasons (Cassar,
2006). Accordingly, new ventures follow different growth paths (Cassar,
2006; Littunen and Niittykangas, 2010). Proactive and internal
motivations, such as self-realization, bring to the introduction of
innovative products in the market and have a positive impact on the
growth rate of startups. Individuals with a high need of achievement look
for activities in which they can set high standards and get satisfaction by
taking responsibilities for success and failure (McClelland, 1965). In doing
so, they have higher probabilities to achieve positive results, since they are
more task oriented and more committed in the entrepreneurial activity. By
contrast, need for independence/self-employment usually does not lead to
high growth rate (Cassar, 2006).
Even though prevailing literature on entrepreneurship seems to be
concentrated on the role of the individual entrepreneur, today new
innovative firms are more likely to be founded by teams rather than
individuals (Gartner et al., 1994; Beckman, 2006). To this regard, Cooper
and Daily (1997) found that successful high-growth firms are usually built
around a team. Further studies reported that team-founded firms have
higher success rates, if compared to firms started by single founders
(Ensley et al., 2006). Working in group with a diverse educational
background exposes individuals to a broader set of knowledge, opinions
and perspectives (Harrison and Klein, 2007). These interactions can lead
to a creative cross-fertilization of ideas and can stimulate new
combinations of knowledge, creativity and innovativeness (Sethi et al,
2002). When analysing the growth rate of startups founded by teams not
only the characteristics of individuals have to be considered, but also team
dynamics and team composition (Gilbert et al., 2008).
Team composition is of paramount importance because there are several
aspects to be taken into consideration to obtain the best mix of features
(i.e. knowledge, skills and competencies). The way teams are formed
New Venture Growth from Start-up to Scale-up
169
(Klotz et al., 2014) is crucial because it could affect the success rate of a
startup. Specifically, team heterogeneity means a variety of skills and
competencies within the team. Differences in age, educational level,
experience have a positive impact on new venture sales growth (Amason
et al., 2006) also in the long run (Steffen et al., 2011). Colombo and Grilli
(2005) provide evidence that there are synergistic effects originated by the
presence, within the founding team, of specific complementary
capabilities. Their findings corroborate the idea that new venture growth is
positively affected by founders’ years of schooling in economics,
management and science. Also Barringer, Jones and Neubaum (2005)
highlight the importance of founders’ college education. They compare a
sample of 50 rapid-growth companies with a sample of 50 slow-growth
companies and found out that college education is fundamental for
founders to shape necessary skills to initiate a new venture and help its
growth. According to Delmar and Shane (2006), also team members’
previous startup experience positively impacts new venture survival and
growth. Later on, Beckman, Burton and O’Reilly (2007) demonstrate how
knowledge and experience (acquired also through new team members)
facilitate the company in obtaining funding from VC and go public (IPO).
Furthermore, Sine, Mitsuhashi and Kirsch (2006) find out that team
formalization and functional specialization lead the new venture to
success. In this respect, Foo, Wong and Hong (2005) analyse the concept
of team diversity considering both “task related diversity”, i.e. different
tasks that founders have in the company, and “non-task related diversity”,
i.e. differences in terms of age, gender, race among team members. The
analysis shows that task related diversity in a team leads the firm to obtain
positive external evaluations of the business plan. However, larger team
size also present higher level of conflict and lower decision speed which
might affect startup growth (Miller et al., 1998).
Team dynamics, cohesion and conflicts influence firm growth because
they affect the decision making process (Ensley et al., 2003). Cohesion is
found to have a positive relation with growth, because it allows to speed
up the decision making process and consequently the startup growth
(Ensley et al., 2003). Furthermore, Beckman (2006) demonstrated that
members with a prior common work experience are able to share a
language and a vision that will lead them to easily implement the firm’s
activities. A recent study of Fern, Cardinal and O’Neill (2012) show how
some team members are chosen because they share the same past
experience of the founders, while others are chosen to extend the
experience of the founders. Moreover, Clarysse, Knochaert and Lockett
(2007) show that founding teams without external equity shareholders do
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Chapter Eight
not tend to attract outside board members with complementary human
capital. Last but not least, networking capabilities of new venture teams is
another crucial aspect enhancing a company’s performance. Networking is
essential to create business links between the new venture and external
potential investors both in the early stage and during the growth path.
According to Neegaard (2005), networking activity should be
implemented by all team components. Moreover, the network of contacts
changes over time in relation to the need of the startup (Leung et al.,
2006).
To conclude, the literature review presented above revealed several key
aspects related to entrepreneurial profile influencing new venture growth.
In the following graph we summarize these factors and highlight a
potential gap identified in literature, which we will discuss in the
following paragraph.
New Venture Growth from Start-up to Scale-up
171
Figure 1: Literature review and gap identified
Source: own elaboration based on literature review
Conclusion
In order to contribute to economic development, startups are supposed to
break the early stage and growth. Scaling-up is difficult, presumably more
than starting-up. The critical issues to understand are: first, how to
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Chapter Eight
measure new venture early growth and second, which factors mainly affect
growth. The typical measure of growth, i.e. sales and employment growth
are not applicable to all ventures when considering their stages of
development. Therefore, early new venture growth is usually defined in
terms of an organization’s ability in gathering resources, in obtaining
external support and readiness to change (Quinn and Cameron, 1983).
Accordingly, when considering early growth experience of new ventures,
the two typical measures of growth can be accompanied and to some
extent also replaced by accumulation of assets and of financial capital
raised.
The review of the literature presented in the previous paragraph shows
how entrepreneurial profiles characterize the initial imprinting of startup
planning for growth with ambitious plans to scale-up. Getting a company
to be profitable with hundreds of employees is therefore exclusive to those
who possess unique management skills along with a strong leadership.
Based on the review of the extant literature we recognised, within the
various characteristics considered, that human capital (i.e. educational
background and work/entrepreneurial experience) is the most effective
factor in explaining new venture high growth rates.
Literature review highlights that an entrepreneur’s educational background
positively influences a new venture’s growth (Sapienza and Grimm, 1997;
Colombo and Grilli, 2005; 2010; Barringer et al., 2005). Education
emerges as being strongly correlated to the propensity of new business
creation and, not surprisingly, with the attitude for success. Highly
educated entrepreneurs are better able to deal with complex problems.
Empirical evidence supports the idea that entrepreneurs’ prior work and
entrepreneurial experience are positively related to growth (Colombo and
Grilli, 2005; Cooper et al., 1994; 1997; Baum et al., 2001; Dyke et al.,
1992). Entrepreneurs’ personality traits are difficult to be measured and it
is therefore more difficult to find the existence of a direct relation to
growth. On the one hand, the effects on growth of an entrepreneur’s risktaking propensity provide controversial results. On the other hand, an
entrepreneur’s motivations, such as self-realization, lead to the new
venture’s high growth rate (McClelland, 1965).
Even though the vast majority of contributions ascribable to
entrepreneurship literature focus on the role of the individual entrepreneur,
empirical research demonstrates that successful high-growth firms are
usually built around a team (Cooper and Daily, 1997). Therefore, not only
New Venture Growth from Start-up to Scale-up
173
do individual characteristics have to be considered but also team
composition and interactions between team members.
Team formation and team dynamics (i.e. member entries and exits): the
way in which teams are formed is critical and can be the key to success.
Controversial results emerge from the review of contributions related to
team composition. On the one hand, scholars’ findings show that team
heterogeneity (i.e. knowledge, skills and competencies) positively affect
firms’ performance and new venture growth (Foo et al., 2005; Colombo
and Grilli, 2005; 2010; Steffens et al., 2012). On the other hand, larger
team size also present higher levels of conflict and lower decision speed
which might negatively affect startup growth (Miller et al., 1998). Under
this point of view, scholars’ conflicting findings spur further research on
the topic.
Finally, the review carried out in this chapter has important implications
for policy makers and entrepreneurs alike, because it suggests which of the
identified entrepreneurial factors have strong implications for growth. At
the same time, the review encourages future empirical research to shed
new light on the crucial phase in which the new ventures break the early
stage barrier. This aspect emerges as being largely overlooked by scholars.
This research also has some limitations, which offer opportunities for
future research. Specifically, from the literature review it emerges that a
few contributions examine how entrepreneurial characteristics, both
considered at individual and team level, change over the years along the
different stages of new venture growth paths (Littunen and Niittykangas,
2010). In filling this gap, future research (both quantitative and qualitative)
should examine in depth and longitudinally the hurdles that entrepreneurs
face in this complex step between the start-up and scale-up phase and
which entrepreneur’s characteristics are most critical to help the new
venture to reach the scale-up phase. In so doing, further research on new
venture growth will help both practitioners and policy makers in
understanding how to support entrepreneurs in overcoming these problems
and how to bring their startup to the scale-up phase.
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CHAPTER NINE
DESIGN DRIVEN INNOVATION:
AN APPROACH FOR GLOBAL MARKETS
STÉPHANE MAGNE, SIMONA ALFIERO
AND FRANCESCO VENUTI
Introduction: Innovate by Design
Design is a discipline that offers a wide set of application fields: product
design, graphic design, packaging design, environmental design, digital
design… and recently, even culinary design!
Its definitional variations, and its multiple theoretical frameworks, also
illustrate its dynamics and its interdisciplinary status. In the context of
global markets with strong international trends and versatile consumers,
design can be a useful tool and a new strategic way of thinking about the
things (real or virtual) surrounding us.
The aim of this chapter is to try to explain how design may provide a new
framework for design management. The innovative question is whether
“innovation guided by design” should be considered to be a powerful tool
of globalization or a way to support a cultural and adapted design.
Design: A Discipline in Constant Evolution
and a Tool for Thinking Globally
The role of design in marketing has changed and evolved from a simple
variable of adjustment that was intended to improve sales (in the United
States, in the Fifties, Raymond Loewy stated that the role of design was
“to make the cash register ring”) to a much more complex strategic
variable.
Design Driven Innovation
183
More than a simple variable, ‘design’ has become a way of thinking (the
‘design thinking’1) which is able to drive the decisions of international
head offices of enlightened large companies like Sony, Renault,
Decathlon, Peugeot, EDF, Legrand… design is combined with other
disciplines like marketing, production, in order to open up the way for
innovation2 and new visions of projects.
One of the definitions ratified at an international level by the ICSID International Council of Societies of Industrial Design - is that of Thomas
Maldonado (1969): “design is a creative activity which consists in
determining the formal properties of the objects that one wants to produce
industrially. By formal properties, one should not hear only the external
characters but especially the structural relations which make of an object
or a system of objects, a coherent unit.”
The emphasis was then placed on the “global design of design” and not
only on the simple aesthetic side. It was a pedagogical work, trying to
explain why design was not a futile and cosmetic action, but a reflection
carried out on the structure of “the object” and on its integration in a
coherent “system of objects”.
Today, design seems to be an instrument of societal transformation. Its
recent definition of 2002 claimed its mission and intention: to be at the
service of mankind. This vision of design is not so recent. In fact, German
Bauhaus clearly assigned this aim to design in 19193.
The most recent contribution is absolutely due to the recognition of its
powerful role. Design increases human potentialities by integrating new
and innovative technologies, and extending its scope of action. “Design is
a creative activity with the goal of presenting the multiple facets of the
quality of the objects, the processes, the services and the systems in which
they are integrated during their life cycle. This is why it constitutes the
major factor of humanization of innovating technologies, and an essential
1
http://designthinking.ideo.com and Brown T. (2010), La Pensée Design, Pearson
France.
2
http://www.industrie.gouv.fr/creation/etudes-rapports.html
3
Laurent S. (1999), Chronologie du design – Guide culturel, collection Tout l’Art,
Encyclopédie, Flammarion; Magne S. (2004), "Les grands courants du design" in
Emballage et Conditionnement : Marketing – Techniques - Mise en œuvre –
Qualité - Réglementation, Les Référentiels DUNOD, mars, partie 5, Chapitre 15.
184
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motor in economic and cultural4 exchanges”. Its functions reveal also the
multidimensional character of the discipline and its role in globalization.
The Functions of Design: A Strong Tribute to Culture
“Design aims to discover and ensure the structural, organizational,
functional, significant and economic relations, which allow:
to take care of environmental protection and its perpetuity at a
worldwide scale (global ethics);
to ensure advantages and increased freedom to the human
community, end-users, producers and actors of markets, both as
individuals and groups (social ethics);
to promote cultural diversity towards globalization (cultural
ethics);
to give to products, services and systems forms that express
(through semiology) their own complexity with aesthetic coherence.
Design sticks to products, services and systems conceived by tools, of an
organization and a logic oriented towards industrialization - even when
they are not manufactured in large series.”5
Design falls under a perennial multidisciplinary approach that is deeply
rooted in globalization and its underlying questions. Designing a
product/service also means to define in advance its performances
according to various contexts:
customer: what functions, uses and value will the consumer allot?
technology(-ies): what internal competences and technical control
will be necessary for the company?
components: what materials have to be chosen and what are the
expected environmental impacts?
markets: what are (or will be) the competing current and future
products? What benefits will they bring and what will be the
profitability of the project?
culture and aesthetics: what image, elements of differentiation and
values will they convey?
4
http://www.apci.asso.fr, APCI: Association pour la Promotion de la Création
Industrielle (2002).
5
Ibidem
Design Driven Innovation
185
The aim of design creations, by its multi-field nature, supposes a large
intellectual and cultural open-mindedness for all those that manage these
kinds of projects.
A large cultural background is necessary in this eclectic field to able
consider:
functionality, namely its utility, its uses and its ergonomics, i.e. its
handiness and easiness, its safety…
efficiency, namely how to think about the product in order to
optimize its production (to ensure product quality and to integrate it
in a manufacturing process).
the socio-cultural and even societal adaptation, i.e. how to adapt the
product to the segments of consumers and their practices by
registering it in a megatrend (a societal marketing trend) which is
not only an ephemeral effect.
appearance, aesthetic attributes and attractiveness are increasingly
stronger and segmenting6, thanks to consumers’ aesthetic expectations.
design strengthens and develops the identity and, more generally,
the Brand Design7.
Design is a Global Project Rooted in Culture
Design is a discipline which requests an interdisciplinary sensitivity and an
analytical capacity that is associated with technical and human skills. This
is due to the nature of the discipline which aims at representing a thought,
an idea, a concept or an intention by taking into account functional,
structural, aesthetic, technical and productive constraints. These
representations necessarily fit into a socio-economic and cultural context.
Design does not only interfere with the creation of objects or brand names,
but also with the creation of environments, permanently trying to combine
tastes and tendencies with a practice of production and the style of the
creator. “The product must express its destination and its usage qualities,
by its formal aspect, its materials, its colour. It thus physically creates an
6
Magne S. (2003), "La Sensibilité Esthétique Personnelle du consommateur" in
Emballage et Conditionnement : Marketing – Techniques - Mise en œuvre –
Qualité - Réglementation, Les Référentiels DUNOD, décembre 2003, partie 5,
Chapitre 14.
7
M. Bassani, K. Ben Youssef, S. Magne, S. Sbalchiero (2010), "Brand Design –
construire la personnalité d’une marque gagnante" 2ème édition revue et augmentée,
éditions De Boeck.
186
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immediate relationship with the consumer who will perceive his level of
performance”, says Monique Brun.
Moreover, designer’s competences are related to the ability to visualize
and represent scenarios and anticipate trends, the problem-solving capacity
and an ease in combining various forms of knowledge. These competences
support the formulation of a global strategy.
Design can thus become one of the most powerful motors of the project8
and the entire innovation process9. Design is also essential in order to “be
unique”, to “be different” from competitors, even if this function is
outsourced.
New Challenges for the Design Department
The Design Department, whether internal or outsourced, is at the
crossroads of several functions of the company10. Today, its main
objective is to create value. This value is a global value, not only a
financial value that concerns producers as well as consumers. Usually, the
current method of giving value to design is innovation11. Indeed,
innovation is often related to a new approach to products/services and to
its value perceived by the customers and/or users. In a broader way, the
design falls under the logic of the project.
These concepts - project, innovation, and value - narrowly overlap with
the logics of design12. Innovative projects often suppose complex
processes and result from these same processes (Bresciani et al., 2015;
Bresciani and Ferraris, 2014; Bresciani et al., 2013; Dias and Bresciani,
2006). The first step is to know at which level of this process and to what
extent the design has a real innovative power.
8
Jean-Jacques Urvoy et Sophie Sanchez (2009) Le designer, De la conception à la
mise en place du projet, édition Eyrolles.
9
Commission of the European Communities (2009), Commission staff working
document, Design as a driver of user-centered innovation, Brussels, 69 p.
10
For an analysis of the functions of a company, see Department of Business
Administration, University of Torino, (1996), Lezioni di Economia Aziendale,
Giappichelli Editore, Torino.
11
Groff A. (2009), 100 questions pour comprendre et agir – MaEditori, nager
l’innovation, Afnor éditions.
12
http://www.designinnovation.ie/what_innovation_sec1.html et Utterback James
and al., Design-inspired innovation, Managing the design process chapter 4,
http://www.worldscibooks.com/business/6052.html
Design Driven Innovation
187
As for value - a concept with multiple meanings and dimensions - it must
fit not only with the value offered to consumers but also with the internal
value for the company using the design. However, new relationships are
established between producers and customers, characterized by a strong
presence of the “prosumer”: a consumer which is a proactive actor of his
consumption. This means that this active consumer is ready to take part in
the value “co-creation” process, which recently also concerns design
activities.
Kratz Ch.13 notes: “The role of design strongly evolved: from a subjective
concept related to aestheticism with non measurable consequences, it has
been apprehended like a competitiveness factor and an element of the
global strategy of the company.” Far from a “cosmetic” design that could
be associated with simple coloured or “gadgetified” styles of decoration,
current design is facing a double process: project management on one side
and value creation on the other. This is why today, many large companies
are, to various degrees, integrating design management logics into their
organizational structures, which are contributing to new differentiated
offers. These offers are anchored in the cultural project of the company, a
culture nourished and developed by these same offers.
Design Management for Innovation Strategies
In Europe, Design Management appeared in the UK in the Sixties. The
term referred to the management of relationships between a design agency
and its customers. In 1966, Michael Farr observed the rising of a new
organizational function: the “design manager”, whose role was to ensure
the proper execution of the projects and to maintain good relationships
between the design agency and its customers.
Then, London’s Royal College of Art and the London Business School’s
Department of Design Management (directed by Peter Gorb) together
provided a better understanding of the role of designers in industry. In
1975, in the US, Bill Hanon and the Massachusetts College of Art founded
the Design Management Institute in Boston (DMI) which represented a
new deal for design management that became a new field of research. In
France, the term “design management” was ratified only comparatively
recently by the scientific community of management. The French
13
http://www.e-marketing.fr/Definitions-Glossaire-Marketing/Design-5613.htm
and Lehu J.-M. (2004), L’encyclopédie du marketing, Editions d’organisation.
188
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precursors Borja de Mozota14 (1985) and Bauhain15 (1988) did not use
these precise words in the title of their Ph.D thesis. Only a few years later,
Hetzel16 used the term “design management “for the first time in his
doctoral dissertation of 1993.
The French scientific community waited to emphasize not only the
strategic and academic status of design, but also to recognize its important
function in companies. The first French contribution in 199017 and 199218
used both the terms “Design” and “Management” as two distinct fields,
which tend to meet.
Peter Gorb published in 199019, an article in the Revue Française de
Gestion - a French Review of Management – RFG - in which he uses the
term “Design-management”. Lastly, in 199820, Monique Brun, always in
the RFG, underlined the importance of design-management for SMEs. In
200221, Borja de Mozota talked about “management of the design” in the
same review. This variation in terminology illustrates the theoretical
round-ups of the concept. All these rhetorical precautions show the
difficulty in accepting the major role of a new strategic field at the
frontiers between design and strategic management, as well as design and
innovation management. Gradually, Design Management has been
developing and is currently one of the most important fields of Design.
Design Management makes it possible to take into account the integration
of design in companies and shows several essential challenges such as:
14
Borja de Mozota B. (1985), Essai sur la fonction du Design et son rôle dans la
Stratégie marketing de l’entreprise, thèse de doctorat en Sciences de Gestion,
Université de Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, juin.
15
Bauhain D. (1988), Le design et son intégration dans l’entreprise, thèse pour le
doctorat ès Sciences de Gestion, Université de Paris 1, septembre.
16
Hetzel P. (1993), Design Management et Constitution de l’Offre, Thèse de
doctorat en Sciences de Gestion, Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3.
17
Borja de Mozota B. (1990), Design & Management, éditions d’organisation.
18
Bauhain-Roux D. (1992), Gestion du design et Management d’entreprise,
Chotard.
19
Gorb P. (1990), Design-management et gestion des organisations, Revue
Française de Gestion, n°80, septembre-octobre, p.66-72.
20
Brun M. (1998), Design Management: les PME aussi, Revue Française de
Gestion, janvier-février, p.31-42.
21
Borja de Mozota B. (2002), Valeur stratégique du Design : Un modèle de
management du design, Revue Française de Gestion, Vol. 28 n°138, avril/juin, 7595.
Design Driven Innovation
189
in saturated markets, in contracting situation or strong changes, the
traditional marketing tools come to show their limits;
when competition goes to another level beyond the quality-price
ratio;
when it becomes essential to follow different paths in order to meet
the needs of consumers because of the rejection of traditional
offers;
when the company wants to leave the expensive cycle of the
perpetual renewal of its offers;
when, in order to increase its power of innovation, companies wish
to discover synergy between marketing and R & D.
Design Management makes it possible to add multiple solutions that
marketing or design, separately, are not able to do. It makes it possible to
adopt another internal vision in the company. Design Management can
even become a genuine instrument of organizational commitment.
Many companies today are relying on design management in order to
improve complex projects. This practice is increasingly regarded as a
fundamental asset and an added-value for the company and its brands. But
what is Design Management really?
Peter Gorb (1990) defines Design Management as the effective
deployment by the project managers of all the available design resources
in order to achieve the goals of the company. This definition implies that
the organization of the project and the location of know-how and
competences are key factors in the researched solution.
According to Brigitte Borja De Mozota22 (2002), “Design Management is
the function of the organization which is in charge of strategic framing, of
tactical and operational piloting of design and in charge of the definition of
a competitive advantage for the firm thanks to design knowledge”.
“Design is at the same time a differentiating process of management
(coordinator and transformer) and design can also create a competitive
advantage on several levels of the chain of value by optimizing either the
principal functions (on the perceived value by the customer), or on the
support functions and the inter-functional coordination (function that
organize the firm), or finally on external coordination (vision of the
industry)”. For this reason, design is increasingly integrated at the
22
Borja De Mozota B. (2002) Design Management, éditions d’organisation.
190
Chapter Nine
beginning of the development process of a product. For Borja, Design
Management has the role of identifying and explaining the various means
that contribute to the company’s value chain and exploring further
opportunities.
Bill Hollins (2002) described Design Management as “the implementation
of all the processes allowing to develop new products and services”.
Lastly, according to Alan Topalian (2003)23, “within an organization,
design management consists in managing all the aspects of the design on
two different levels: the entrepreneurial level and the conceptual level.”
Topalian affirms that “the development of design management supposes
the widening of the experience of the actors brought to seek adapted
solutions to design projects and to any type of situation in the company”.
These various definitions show the strong impact that design has when it is
considered from a strategic point of view within the framework of Design
Management. It makes it possible to manage processes or projects and
ensures a value increase for both the producers and the consumers. Finally,
it modifies the organisational structures by involving protagonists who
previously were not used to co-operating.
Hence, Design Management is a strategic and operational practice which
benefits from the potential of the approach as a whole and can be probably
considered as one of the most powerful tools of the design discipline.
Many companies have integrated design management in the heart of their
industrial process because of its powerful generation of added-value and,
at the same time, because of the cooperation of the staff around the
creative process of managing innovation (Bresciani, 2010).
Actors of Design Management
Who are the actors in Design Management? For Christopher Lorenz24 “the
attitude of synthesis and entrepreneurship of the industrial designer must
have as much force as the competences of the engineer, of the financial
controller or those of the marketing expert.”
23
Topalian A. (2003), Envisioning, visualization and dynamic integration in
design, Design Management Symposium: Advanced strategies for tough times,
International School of Design (KISD), Cologne, Germany 21-22 November.
24
Lorenz C. (1990), La Dimension Design. Atout concurrentiel décisif, Paris, Les
Éditions d'organisation.
Design Driven Innovation
191
.
Figure 1 - Actors of design management.
In a design management process the major functions of the company are
connected with the design. Decisions concerning the shapes and
functionalities of products are subjected to many constraints that require
an exchange of information with many actors. Meetings with the project
teams, especially at the first steps, are generally done with all these actors.
It is essential that the person/people in charge of design and the marketing
experts take part right from the early meetings at the beginning of the
project development in order to determine the positioning of the new
product or service. When a company adopts an innovative management
approach driven by design, this seems to be the effective way of activating
quality dialogues among the main actors. Design also helps to promote a
cultural approach centred on the users and on the markets.
This figure (fig. 1) focuses on the poles and profiles that can create value
by the design on:
(1) the offered value to customers (what will modify its perception:
product quality/service, branding, emotional values and use…)
(2) the valorisation of the techniques (what will act on the performance
of the product/service: adopting innovating solutions, adopted
technologies …)
192
Chapter Nine
(3) the financial value (what will make it possible to act on the
economic position of the company: opening to new markets, stock
exchange valorisation of the company…)
(4) the strategic value (in terms of mission and culture of project: new
strategic organization, changes of organizational structure, team
commitments…)
Managers who tried these practices and worked with design, confirmed
that they play a role in managing companies towards success. Moreover,
design practices make the entire communication process between
departments easier and, moreover, develop a culture centred on markets
and customers.
Big industry groups (such as Renault, Philips, Sony, Seb, Alcatel,
Décathlon…) developed these practices a long time ago and implemented
a design management strategy that was able to link design to head offices,
giving the designers an equal decision power to share with people in
charge of Research & Development and Marketing. This transverse
function can find its place between the traditional hierarchical functions
and Production and Marketing-Communication specifically.
Design allows to unite all the actors, whatever their technical skills or
level of experience are. It manages to join people in the creative projects
teams, allowing them to work together effectively and in the same
direction. Design devotes its ‘transversality’ in communication to all the
forces in a participative management approach.
A Way of Thinking and a Methodological
Approach for Design Projects
Design management allows the gathering of several functions which were
previously connected and which were complementary only in a linear way
(as the sequential process of product design in fig. 2). These activities did
not work together either when designing the product or during its
development.
Before: Sequential process called “over-the-wall” product design
Each function did its specific work that, once completed, was transferred
linearly to the following function or step, in a sequential way.
Design Driven Innovation
193
Now: Process of collaborative design
The design team is composed of representatives from each department
which develops the specifications. It also involves the consumers in the
project (co-creation), in order to solve the potential problems, along with
reducing the costs and the time to market.
Figure 2 - The process of design: sequential design versus collaborative design.
Today, the steps are no longer presented in this sequential and linear way.
Large companies rejected this scheme and adopted a collaborative
approach oriented to the exchange of information within a team.
Today, thanks to design management, the innovation of products or
services results from an approach that closely associates strategic
marketing, R&D and design25.
In the design management model, the team behind strategic marketing
leads the creation as well as the development of products. They are
25
http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file14794.pdf ed. Swann Peter and Birke Daniel
(2005), How do Creativity and Design Enhance Business Performance? A
Framework for Interpreting the Evidence, ‘Think Piece’ for DTI Strategy Unit,
Final Report, Nottingham University Business School.
194
Chapter Nine
constantly informed about the latest market trends, and they suggest
possible consumption scenarios based on the consumers’ expectations and
megatrends. After having collected information, these interdisciplinary
teams create “product concepts” (also called system-products26). Then,
these concepts are proposed to the research and development teams so that
they can analyze technical possibilities and economic profitability. In the
design management model, the marketing team also works with designers
and follows the various steps of product development. They define the
communication strategy and prepare the launching of the products.
Finally, they ensure the follow-up with the assistance of operational
marketing.
Changes brought by the design management model call for a real openmindedness of the protagonists who work with strategic marketing and
design. The research teams always consist of experts necessarily coming
from multiple sectors (electronics, thermics, chemistry, new
technologies…). These teams look further and deeper into the produced
concepts created by the marketing teams and suggest other possible
proposals. In close collaboration with the designers, these teams design
prototypes. When their project is finally approved, the prototype enters
into the development phase. The principal task of the Development
function is to make the product evolve from a prototype to manufacturing.
Designers take part in the entire process at each step of the product
creation. They adapt the forms, the colours and the textures. They finalize
the ergonomics and the aesthetics of the product. They also emphasize its
functionalities. With this intention, companies can create their own design
pole or call on external outsourcing design agencies.
This new model creates strong synergies. The whole becomes stronger
than the sum of its parts (holism). The design process is a model which
makes it possible to understand the impact of design in the development of
products. It belongs to the entire development process of the company and
is used to achieve profitable and creative results thanks to the competences
and know-how brought by design. The design process can be applied to
26
Design combined with marketing moves the classical approach of the product
considered as a tangible element, to the “system-product” viewed as an integrated
unit of products, services and communication components. This vision contributes
to determine the competitive position of the company on the market and the
relationship the company founds with the market and the sociocultural background
with which it interacts.
Design Driven Innovation
195
many sectors and projects which relate to tangible processes, messages,
goods, services or new environments.
Figure 3 - The design process.
This process is often more iterative than chronological, and the force of
the design approach should be able to predict some variables or
characteristics, for example the elements of marketing, communication,
commercialization which have to be thought about in advance as they
influence the final design of the product/service.
This study will analyze dynamic processes in various levels. Its underlying
field is Design Thinking and not the theoretical framework of the New
Product Development27 that is more sequential and linear. “It is less a
question of making design than thinking in a design mode” points out Tim
Brown28. How is it possible to represent in an effective way this vision of
design in project management?
Levels of Design Integration in the Company
As can be seen in figure 4, called The Design Ladder29 (i.e. levels of
design development in a company), there are four factors that lead to the
use of design by a company. The first step involves those who do not use
it. Secondly, there are those who just use it for the appearance of the
products, just like an aesthetic tool. The third step refers to those who
27
Trott P. (2002), Innovation Management and New Product Development, 2nd
edition, Prentice Hall, Pearson.
28
Ibidem.
29
http://www.seeproject.org/casestudies/Design%20Ladder
196
Chapter Nine
integrate design in the development process, and finally (fourth step) to
those who regard design as a strategic key element.
Figure 4 - The Ladder of Design: four stages to integrate design.
Stage 1: no recourse to design
The design plays little or no role at all in the development of the
product/service. For example, the product and the development of service
are made by non-design specialists. The end-user is not taken into account.
Stage 2: Design is “Styling”
Design is regarded as relevant in its only aesthetic dimension: style,
appearance and elements of ergonomics. Sometimes an external designer
can be involved but the styling will be defined mainly by internal
professionals of other functions or sectors.
Stage 3: Design like a process
Design is considered a process or a method for the creation of the product
or the service, but it's only used at the initial stages of the development.
The solution of design is external and is adapted to the requirements of the
end-user thanks to an interdisciplinary approach.
Design Driven Innovation
197
Stage 4: Design is a strategic dimension
The design is integrated and accompanies the permanent renewal of the
business concept of the company. Design is the way to encourage and
stimulate innovation. The design process is one of the key objectives of
the company and plays a role at each stage of the development.
The basic assumption is the following: the higher the company is on the
design ladder, the better its growth performances are. How can that be
organized at a strategic level?
There are three levels of management concerned with design30: strategic,
operational and production of outputs. Teams with the head of design, the
project manager design and designers should be involved in all these three
levels.
Figure 5 – the 3 levels of management.31
Defined in these terms, design management draws the project status,
defining the orientations: top down versus bottom-up, authoritative versus
compromise, centralized versus peripheral; the principles regulating
decision making: who decides what, who is involved in the project, with
the level of dialog, the level of specification, the degree of autonomy; as
well as the system of actors involved in the project process: roles, methods
of commitment, contributions expected, phases of intervention.
30
Best K. (2009), Le design management : stratégie, méthode et mise en œuvre,
Pyramid and Chaptal de Chanteloup Ch. (2011), Le Design - Management
stratégique et opérationnel, Éditions Vuibert.
31
http://design-keys.org/168/management/#comments.
198
Chapter Nine
The interdisciplinary nature of all stages and the rationalization of the
processes do not prevent at the decision-making process from being
flexible. Each project, even if it must conform to the total strategic patterns
of the company, is perceived as being independent of the precedents and
as having an opportunity to develop the company. The need for finding
new keys for understanding the projects supports the flexibility of thought
of each involved department, and it finally stimulates the innovation
processes. Design is a vector of innovation for reconsidering the creative
processes and of innovation.
The Theoretical Framework:
The Design Thinking for Global Markets
The Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development (OCDE),
proposes through the handbook of Oslo32, the following definitions of
innovation:
“An innovation is the implementation of a product (good or service) or an
appreciably improved new process or, a new marketing method, or a new
organizational method in the practices of the company, the organization of
the workplace or the foreign relations.”
“So that there is innovation, it is necessary that at least the product, the
process, the marketing method or the organization process are new (or
appreciably improved) for the firm. This concept includes the products, the
processes and the methods which the firms are the first to develop and
those which they imported from other firms or organizations.”
“The innovation is one of the principal means to acquire a competitive
advantage while meeting the market needs. To innovate, it is to create new
products, to develop existing products, but also, to optimize its system of
production, to adopt last technologies resulting from the fundamental
research like its department of Research and Development.”
Innovation is, at the same time, an approach and the result of this process.
To develop it calls for interdisciplinary project teams. In this direction,
design can frame these innovating processes. It proposes types of projects,
methodologies and instruments that are useful for innovation.
32
Manuel d’Oslo (2005), Principe directeurs pour le recueil et l’interprétation des
données sur l’innovation, p.54-67, édition n°3.
Design Driven Innovation
199
The Dimensions of Design-Driven Innovation
Design occupies the role of “socio-technical translator” between society
trends, customer needs and user expectations. Figure 6 summarizes the
relationship between these three elements which contribute to the
innovation that is guided by design, i.e. to give the design a driving role in
the innovation: an innovation design-driven.
Figure 6 - The dimensions of design innovation.
Design requires the deliberate acceptance of some constraints. “Without
the existence of limits, there cannot be design, and the best design is often
carried out within a restrictive framework” explained Tim Brown in his
book Design Thinking. This sentence illustrates what leads to innovation
by design. The constraints and limits are the three major elements which
200
Chapter Nine
dictate innovation: economy, technology and the individual. The bases of
innovation design can be founded on these elements: managing the
constraints on a hierarchical base and evaluating them. These criteria of
innovation lead the designer to take the following questions into
consideration:
● What is a durable integrated economic model?
● What is functional and realizable in a realistic future?
● What corresponds to consumer expectations?
After the identification of constraints, they should be carefully evaluated.
Then, it has to be determined what importance should be given to each
one. The answer will be specific and different for each company. Some
projects will be largely dependent on technology, others of the funding
process, etc.
A Linear Model of Product Development versus
a Collaborative Model of Design Driven Innovation
This approach of Design Thinking is opposed to the traditional model of
linear innovation, in which each step is clearly defined in a precise given
order, starting with research and going all the way through to the final
innovation.
Figure 7 - Linear traditional model of the innovation.
Design-driven innovation is individual-centred, but remains open to the
societal and external influences. Design is considered to be a bridge
between the process of product development and individual and societal
needs. This approach corresponds to the Design Thinking.
“The Design Thinking is deeply rooted in the designers’ competences, that
they acquired during decades of effort to put in adequacy the human needs
and the technical available resources in the respect of the economic
constraints” says Tim Brown.
The Design Thinking is thus a process that is able to allow for practical
and creative resolution of problems, aiming at finding effective durable
Design Driven Innovation
201
solutions. The Design Thinking is a process which “mobilizes our
imagination, our capacity to identify patterns, to build ideas with strong
emotional contents but also functional, to express by other means words
and symbols”.
The approach adopted in this paper was aimed at the presentation of a new
perspective for design management in global markets within the
theoretical framework of Design Thinking.
Conclusions: Designing with the Culture of the Company
and for Cultural Dimensions of the Markets
For Rachel Cooper and Mike Close (1995)33, the design manager is a
person who, in a team, seeks to meet the company’s needs while
contributing to the optimal use of design.
The design manager is positioned at the same level as the person in charge
of a process, a kind of project manager with a design competence, with an
authority on the project, determining the rules and being able to change
them under the development process while deciding on elements to
stabilize and changes of orientation and direction.
The role of the design manager is, above all, “to manage”. This role
consists of understanding the strategic issues of a company and effectively
connecting know-how, means, tools and methods which will make it
possible to achieve its goals. If he wants to reinforce, at the same time, the
recourse to design and innovative capabilities of the company, a design
manager must develop two important qualities: firstly, knowledge of how
to assess the aesthetic quality of a product and, secondly, consideration of
the innovative nature of a project for the company.
As a translator and a messenger of company value, the designer assumes a
new important role within projects. In order to be aligned with global
markets, a company must emit powerful signals aimed at the congruence
between its own organizational culture and the cultural dimensions of
these markets. Design must ensure that it occupies the role of an
intermediary, of a mediator between these cultures. But to do it correctly,
it should not be a simple step in a linear development process: the design
33
Cooper R. et Press M. (1995), The design agenda – a guide to successful design
management, Wiley John and sons.
202
Chapter Nine
thinking must become itself the heart of the creative process, while being
integrated into all the stages of the development of the product.
According to Gino Finizio34, “Design management consists in the
realization of programs able to mix the culture of the company and the
culture of project”. We could add: and the cultural dimensions of the
targeted markets. It means aligning the team of designers/marketers/
engineers and sectors (or global markets) with a strong cultural content
and trying to translate into the product or service the elements of this
innovating language occurring between the company and its markets.
The role of the design manager consists of supervising the activities of
product definition, the identification of latent needs and the launch of final
products, by making sure that the strategy of the company converges with
the innovating signals offered by the design team. Its role is then crossbordered with two disciplines: one creative, since it is a question of
identifying the creative resources within the company, the second one
more administrative, since designers and creations are constrained by the
available means of the company (financial and production capacity,
selected strategic decisions of development…).
How can the results of the market studies, statistical results and
considered scenarios be translated into concrete actions? It is once again
the role of the design manager. Its role is particularly complex because of
the fact that, for example, when an idea comes from consumer market
studies, its feasibility should be checked. The design manager must know
how to talk with each department of the company (finances, marketing,
and technique) in order to bring the initial idea until the phase of
industrialization without denaturing the project essence.
For that, after having validated the idea of feasibility in collaboration with
marketing, logistics and communication directors, the design manager
identifies the best creative resources (they can be outsourced or internal).
The designer’s team then develops an innovating solution on the basis of
the report resulting from the common approach. At the beginning of this
process, known as “cycle of innovation”, other departments of the
company are involved: they ensure that the suggested solution is in
harmony with the requirements of the company and its various
organizational functions. An efficient creativity is not, contrary to the
34
Gino Finizio, (2006) adaptation de l’ouvrage en français par Ben Youssef K. et
Magne S. "Design et Marketing – gérer l’idée", éditions ESKA.
Design Driven Innovation
203
generally accepted ideas, creativity without rationality. By anchoring the
creative approach in a rational, calculable and measurable process, one
increases the relevance of the encountered solution(s).
For this purpose, the design manager has a “toolbox” that allows him,
according to the type of project, to adopt the optimal configuration of the
project, the most adequate techniques taking into consideration a nonlinear
process of the project.
Beyond global markets and their cultural specificities, innovation guided
by design should integrate the consumer’s culture and subcultures to
respond to new individual market expectations. What kind of tool could
help design to succeed in this endeavour? How can the consumer be
involved in the long and collaborative process of design management and
this process design driven by innovation? We should find new models of
co-creation that are able to integrate consumers as real actors in these
processes towards global markets (cf. Fig 7).
Figure 7 – Co-creation in global markets.
204
Chapter Nine
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Cooper R. and Press M. (1995), The design agenda – a guide to succesful
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CHAPTER TEN
SMART MANAGEMENT OF PORT LOGISTIC
NETWORKS - THE ITALIAN CASE
MARIA V. CIASULLO, GIUSEPPE FESTA
AND ANTONIO FESTA
1. Introduction
Ports currently play a key role in the management and coordination of material and information processes in regard to goods handling and trading.
As such, ports are increasingly important in global economies, as they
have become strategic assets for competitiveness and the development of a
territorial system (even in a sustainable view). From areas dedicated to
simple cargo handling, ports have gradually been transformed into crucial
partners of companies contributing significantly to the logistic processes
of value creation.
In fact, as a result of the evolution of seaports in terms of size, roles and
tasks, together with their contribution to the development of the areas in
which they are located, the scientific literature has highlighted a generational growth (Hoyle and Hilling, 1984; UNCTAD, 1994 e 1999; Van Den
Berg and Klink, 1994; Van Klink, 1995; Hoyle, 1998; Gilman, 2003; Flor
and Defilippi, 2003; Bichou and Gray, 2005; Angeliki, 2005; Siviero,
2002; Siviero and Carlucci, 2009; Flynn and Lee, 2010; Flynn et al.,
2011). One of the most important achievements of studies in this field –
mostly connected with logistic evolution – is the distinction of ports into
four generations:
‘first-generation ports’ are appropriate for small trades, and port activities are mainly concerned with the loading and unloading of
goods;
‘second-generation ports’ are characterized by a process of the industrialization of logistic activities, having the main task of ensur-
208
Chapter Ten
ing a steady flow of goods to territorial companies that are involved
in handling local materials;
‘third-generation ports’ are essentially linked to two important internationalization drivers: the growing expansion of transport technologies, based on the standardization of the size of the transported
units (pallets and containers) and the preponderance of logistic services, characterized by deeper market orientation and higher added
value;
‘fourth-generation ports’, finally, are organized with logistic activities that are gradually put outside the port perimeter, developing
further value-added services and expanding toward inter-modality
and multi-modality1.
By virtue of this categorization, it is easy to highlight the changing role of
maritime terminals, now considered real catalysts in local, regional, national and international socioeconomic development. This innovation,
more specifically, has characterized the evolution of port logistics ‘from
the flow to the network’.
In this modern phase (of the so-called ‘network port’), it is essential that
maritime terminals put into place development strategies that are oriented
toward socioeconomic growth. The competitiveness of a port system is
thus linked not only to managerial/operational elements but also to the
ability of the subject of governance.
The competitiveness of port logistic networks is the focus of the first part
of this chapter, in which we have tried to delineate the potential measures
necessary to increment port attractiveness and, therefore, the ability to intercept those volumes of traffic managed by global logistics players2. Fun1
In truth, Flynn and Lee (2010) have also introduced the ‘Fifth-Generation Ports’,
even called ‘Customer-centric Community Ports’, whose performances depend not
on infrastructure capacity but on their ability to attract and keep clients (of course,
while serving the stakeholders’ community at the same time).
2
We would note that general findings in this sector tend to confirm a gradual concentration of traffic in a few major ports. This phenomenon stems from concentration strategies on the part of shipping companies and port terminals for better control of logistic components. This trend has an impact in terms of efficiency and
effectiveness and ensures customers a reliable service at competitive costs. Thus,
the larger the port is, in terms of volumes handled and port/inland facilities, the
greater its competitive potential, through exploiting economies of scale, interconnections with other territories, saturation of critical infrastructures and concentration of port activities.
Smart Management of Port Logistic Networks - The Italian Case
209
damental, in this sense, is the intelligent (smart) management of port logistic networks, in which all network actors are involved in efforts to
speed up, improve, simplify and make secure the entire flow by virtue of
technological innovations, operations and services of the port.
In this direction, another transformation has emerged, involving an evolution toward supply chain management (SCM). In this context, the competitiveness of a seaport depends on its ability to create added value throughout the whole supply chain, taking into account new competitive trends
whereby competition is no longer among individual companies, but among
supply chains (Christopher, 1992; Meersman and Van de Voorde, 1996).
In fact, this study aims to emphasize the new status of ports in the whole
logistic process, called upon not only to play a reactive role within the
supply chain but also to take on an active and even proactive role, facilitating the full development of ever more integrated logistic supply chains to
achieve adequate levels of competitiveness. After studying the port logistic
network (that is, focusing on third- or even fourth-generation ports), the
second part of this chapter will present and describe the contextualization
of port smart platforms in the case of Italy – one of the most important
countries in Europe in regard to port logistics, in part because of its strategic position in the Mediterranean Sea.
2. ‘Smart’ Management of Port Logistic
Networks and the Evolution toward SLSCM
(Smart Logistic Supply Chain Management)
Port competitiveness, as highlighted above, does not depend exclusively
on the quality of material infrastructures (hard components, e.g., terminal,
docks) but mainly on the quality of immaterial infrastructures (soft components, e.g., logistic services, ICT systems) by virtue of the capacity and
development of adequate core competences on the part of port actors in the
coordinated and systemic management of various logistic activities/processes (Huybretchs, 2002; De Martino et al., 2012). Improving
service effectiveness and efficiency can be accelerated by a smart management system that would be able to simplify and safeguard activities/processes/operations already enabled or scheduled to be enabled by
port actors.
In this sense, the development of ICT-based solutions is fundamental to
guaranteeing competitiveness, sustainability and interoperability im-
210
Chapter Ten
provement among logistic partners. The adoption of these technologies
provides operators with sophisticated and innovative information systems
able to streamline information flows as well as improve data management
and processing within a port community, with a consequent reduction of
total costs and improvement in the overall level of services.
The computerization of ports is part of the European Union’s3 strategic
initiatives aimed at applying IT in all modes of transport. The essential objectives of the policy are to minimize environmental impact on different
territorial systems, to guarantee a smooth administration for the goods’
path through different infrastructures, to reduce road congestion and to
implement incremental multi-mode efficiency by the rational use of realtime information in moving goods and people. In other words, smart ports
can be defined as complex interactive ecosystems enhancing a better management of the intra-, extra- and inter-port logistic network, creating higher added value by means of integrated services (of an economic, social and
environmental nature) for individual clients and for the port system as a
whole. Many ports, however, have failed to use these technologies to gain
competitive advantage and improve performance. Implementing such
technologies is a challenging and risky process involving huge resources
and significant investments (Zhao et al., 2002).
The scientific literature highlights the concept of a Port Community System (PCS)4, defined as a holistic information platform integrating a heterogeneous community of port actors5 electronically connected in a network
3
The EU website states that the “… EU e-Maritime envisages promoting interoperability in its broader sense. It aims to stimulate coherent, transparent, efficient
and simplified solutions in support of cooperation, interoperability and consistency
between Member States and transport operators” (source:
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/maritime/e-maritime_en.htm, accessed 31st
January 2015).
4
For a discussion of the Port Community System, cf. van Baalen et al., 2008. Other
studies focus on the private and public partnerships that have enabled the development of these systems (Bagchi and Paik, 2001), on the collective work achieved by
the port community or on the adoption process (Rodon and Ramis-Pujol, 2006), as
well as on the architecture of information systems (van Baalen et al., 2008). For a
discussion of PCS interoperation at the European level, cf. Baron and Mathieu, 2013.
5
Port actors are generally defined as members of a port community (Rodon and
Ramis-Pujol, 2006). The port community typically includes ship-owners, handlers,
road/rail/river carriers, and warehouse owners, as well as trading partners (forwarding agents or commissioners) and government organizations (customs, veterinary or immigration services). Cf. van Baalen et al., 2008.
Smart Management of Port Logistic Networks - The Italian Case
211
of global transportation in order to enable the exchange of information and
to guarantee the smooth flow of shipments from origin to destination (Rodon and Ramis-Pujol, 2006; Srour et al., 2008; Tijan et al., 2009). The
main purpose of a PCS is to exchange information within the system
(Milá, 2009) through the use of information models (Posti et al., 2010).
The debate on port competitiveness, as part of the evolution of the role of
ports (i.e., from simple places dedicated to cargo handling to complex logistics platforms whose sustainability is highly dependent on the level of
integration and coordination of actors/resources/processes) has pushed for
an analysis of port competitiveness based on theoretical categories related
to integration logistics and supply chain management (SCM).
The Council of Professionals (2009) defines logistics management as the
sector of SCM that plans, implements and controls the efficient flow and
storage of raw materials, semi-finished and finished goods and related information from point of origin to point of consumption. To satisfy the logistic needs of customers, it is essential to integrate the whole logistic process with other functional areas of the enterprise (intra-organizational logistics), thus giving organizations the opportunity to consider logistics as a
fundamental moment in value co-creation. This process involves not only
a single activity but also the entire supply chain (i.e., inter-organizational
logistics). The Italian Association of Logistics, for example, recognizing
the importance of logistic integration in SCM evolution, has come to define it as a set of approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers,
manufacturers, distributors and retailers, so that goods are produced and
distributed in the right amount, in the right places and in the right moments, with the goal of minimizing costs for the entire system and thus ensuring the desired service level (Riccio, 2005). As a management philosophy, SCM aims at maximizing the competitiveness of companies and networks through the integration of actors, activities and processes, given the
positive relationship between integration and competitiveness. The higher
the level of integration between actors of the chain is, the higher the potential benefits for all stakeholders (including the end consumers) and, as a
result, the competitiveness of the whole chain (Hines et al., 2000; Lambert, 2001; De Martino and Morvillo, 2007).
Ports as complex logistics platforms are engaged in the inbound and outbound receipt and dispatch of goods and information and should offer high
quality services effectively and efficiently. Therefore, the role of the port
in the context of SCM is to provide differentiated services as required by
demand and to facilitate logistic integration. In this perspective, ports have
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become an important node in a variety of different sectors (with different
entities to satisfy) whose lesser or greater capacity for integration and coordination the logistic value co-creation depends on.
The increasingly important role of the port community in the process of
value co-creation in a specific logistic network is then evident in a continuous effort to find optimal solutions for the end user. Ports do not play
merely a reactionary role within the supply chain; rather, they participate
actively and proactively in the full development and competitiveness of
the chain6. As such, for a port that seeks to become a key player in the value co-creation process for the end user, a growing interaction among the
various actors in a port logistic supply chain appears increasingly necessary, in addition to reciprocal interoperability.
The application of conceptual categories of SCM to ports and dry ports is
particularly complex (Robinson, 2002; Carbone and De Martino, 2003;
Paixão and Marlow, 2003; Bichou and Gray, 2004; Carbone and Gouvernal, 2007), given the traditional conflict among actors of the port community in regard to service delivery. Some authors (Tongzon et al., 2009), in
an attempt to unravel such complexity, have analysed the role of the port
in the supply chain through integration practices implemented by global
players – mainly shipping companies and terminal operators – that manage
the terminal and provide other logistic services (and not only transport)7.
Actors, although vested with a key role in port competitiveness, are not
however the only development options, given that the success of the port
is based on the development of activities and resources related to the needs
of other port users (Capaldo and Giannoccaro, 2012), including companies
that operate in their hinterland’s manufacturing and service industries.
Several scientific studies investigating this phenomenon have emerged in
recent years, though the field appears to be quite limited, particularly in
terms of empirical studies (Lam and Song, 2013). It would be important,
6
According to Ketchen et al. (2008) supply chains go beyond traditional logistics
requirements advancing a holistic logistic value proposition as well as an ideal balance of key competitive priorities, i.e., speed, quality, cost, and flexibility.
7
In a recent work, Song and Panayides (2008) conducted a survey to collect the
viewpoints of managers of container ports and terminals worldwide. Supply chain
integration parameters such as technologies, value-added services and relationships
with users were positively related to the parameters of port competitiveness. The
authors suggested that these dimensions represent a strong contribution to port
competitiveness in the supply chain.
Smart Management of Port Logistic Networks - The Italian Case
213
therefore, to assess trends and performances in port supply chains from the
perspective of port users.
In this context, a conceptual model of the evolution of port logistic supply
chains (see Figure 1) distinguishes dominant players (port authorities –
customs agencies, shipping companies, terminal operators, large logistic
providers, large wholesale distributors), secondary players (transportation
and storage companies, average/small size shippers), and players of considerable importance (i.e., rail and road operators).
Figure 1 - Conceptual model of the port supply chain evolution (source: adapted
from Siviero and Carlucci, 2009).
The internal integration of various actors in port logistic networks is merely the first step toward an ideal evolutionary path (Paixão and Marlow,
2003), which entails the gradual external integration of maritime terminal
services with activities implemented by the other actors of the supply
chain. Potentially, therefore, ports will be required to develop skills that
could be difficult to imitate by competitors (‘port specific’).
Carbone and De Martino (2003), for example, maintain that the greater
inter-actor integration in a port network is, the greater the competitiveness
of the entire supply chain. In particular, the two authors, analysing the role
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of the port of Le Havre within the Renault distribution chain, have tried to
show that port competitiveness is closely linked to its ability to create value and how, in this process, port operations alone are not sufficient to
make a port terminal competitive unless accompanied by interoperability,
interaction, dialogue and the exchange of information between various actors in the port logistic supply chain. “Research [...] has shown that the
performance of the traditional components of port supply (infrastructure,
supra-structures, and services to goods and to ships) are no longer sufficient to guarantee its competitiveness, but they can be considered merely
as ‘prerequisites’. Much more relevant for this purpose, is the relational
capacity of the various port operators (in particular, the CAT, a logistics
operator responsible for the distribution of cars in Europe) in the Renault
customer satisfaction process”8.
Thus, it is clear that the ability of a port to create value within the supply
chain depends above all on interoperability among all stakeholders (internal and external) in the port logistic network. The ‘keyword’ underpinning
SCM is ‘integration’: several entities that inter-operate have to eliminate
“… structural, information [and organizational, authors’ note] redundancies, erase the transit dead times, modify procedural behaviors in order to
harmonize them in a holistic approach of the entire logistic process”9.
The harmonization of behaviours required by SCM philosophy in a port
context can only take place by virtue of the smart management of the seaport by actors capable of creating a real port community in which each actor is an integral part of success or failure – in terms of competitiveness of
the maritime terminal – on the international stage. In short, even in the
evolution toward the supply chain management of a seaport, technology
plays a vital role.
The synergic relationship between ICT and SCM is highlighted by Ross
(1998), wherein the author defines the Information Technology System as
the core of supply chain management. “The origins and continued development of SCM are directly dependent on the capabilities of today’s information and communication technologies (ICT) […] – the networking of
geographically dispersed process teams, the integration of channel strate8
Source: De Martino and Morvillo, 2007, p. 101.
Source: Stucchi, 2011, http://www.cbritaly.it/news/1351/scm-e-ict-un-rapporto-in
evoluzione/#.VG0ARXl0zIU, accessed 31st January 2015. See also
http://www.trem-magazzini.com/docum_crm/c_g_19.pdf, accessed 31st January
2015.
9
Smart Management of Port Logistic Networks - The Italian Case
215
gies and operations, communications technology providing connectivity
between companies, planning systems that facilitate inventory management integration across the supply channel pipeline, and other – would be
impossible without effective ICT systems. SCM provides a critical management and operational approach for competitive advantage given its inherently intertwining with the networking power to be found in today’s
computerized information and communication systems. As capabilities of
ICT tools expand, there can be little doubt that the integrative and informative capabilities of SCM to provide fresh competitive perspectives
will likewise expand”10.
3. The case of Smart Port Logistics in Italy: Regulatory
Framework, State of the Art and Managerial Perspectives
The maritime sector in Italy (and in particular, those larger Italian ports in
which Port Authorities (PAs) have been set up) has become a significant
segment of the overall transport system both in quantitative terms of the
flow, handling, import and export of goods, and from an economic and
employment point of view. Based on 2009 estimates (Censis, 2011), port
logistics and ancillary services – the branch of a maritime cluster more
closely linked to the activities of commercial and industrial ports – provided a direct contribution to GDP of more than 6.7 billion euros (in line with
the estimates presented in Censis, 2008), with repercussions for employment in the form of nearly 32,000 newly created jobs (and over 64,000
when taking into account the ‘upstream’ and ‘downstream’ supply chain
pipeline) and added value per direct unit of labour equal to 70,000 euros.
In regard to economic impact, Censis’ estimates show that each euro of
new investment or additional demand for port logistics and auxiliary services would lead to a multiplier effect of income equal to 2.75, with new
business leading to a multiplier effect on employment units of 2.01.
Regarding freight traffic, recent statistics from Eurostat (2012) for 2010
quantify approximately 482 million tons of goods passing through Italian
ports, of which approximately 313 million originated from international
traffic, equal to 65% of total traffic. In the period 2001-2010, Italy was
among the top three European countries for total movement of goods by
sea, second after the United Kingdom until 2007 and third after the Netherlands from 2008 to 2010. During the entire period however, the United
Kingdom took pride of place by moving 543 million tons on average. Italy
10
Source: Ross (1998), pp. 314-315.
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Chapter Ten
followed suit with 478 million tons, and the Netherlands followed with
466 million. In comparison to evidence from other European countries, a
lower percentage of goods were moved with respect to international traffic
(Cesaroni and De Santis, 2014) through Italian ports.
Within the logistics system as a whole, a predominant role in terms of
guidance and control is held by the Port Authority. Its organs are the President (appointed to a four-year term of service by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport in agreement with the region of concern), the Port
Committee, the Secretary-General, the Board of Auditors and central and
local advisory commissions. The composition of the Port Authority clearly
shows its close link with the central government. Such a ‘symbiotic’ link
could be a limitation for the development of maritime terminals in terms of
real risks linked to possible inexperience and limited professional qualifications on the part of those persons appointed to govern it.
The Port Authority, a legal entity regulated by public law, has administrative and financial autonomy. The law establishing Port Authorities grants
them the following functions:
guidance, control, planning and promotion of port operations and
other commercial and industrial activities in ports, with powers of
regulation and order;
ordinary and extraordinary maintenance of the common parts of the
port, including maintenance of the seabed;
entrustment (upon payment and by public tender) and control of the
activities directed to the provision of services of general interest;
supervision of the completion of port operations, services and fares
that [authorized firms] intend to deliver to users;
administration of port areas and docks entrusting them to firms involved in port operations and management of activities relating to passengers and services of prominent commercial and industrial interests.
In Italy, if ports lack the necessary requirements for the establishment of a
Port Authority11, the management of maritime terminals is the onus of the
Maritime Authority12, which runs and supervises all activities that take place
in these ports. The Maritime Authority, also known as the Harbormaster, is a
branch of the Coast Guard that essentially performs tasks related to the pub11
New Port Authorities may be set up in the seaports that “… during the last three years
have dealt with a volume of freight traffic of at least three million tonnes per year net of
liquid bulk or 200,000 Feet Equivalent Unit (TEU)” (Law 84/1994, art. 6).
12
On the tasks of the Port Authority and the Maritime Authority, cf. Boi, 2008.
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217
lic use of the sea. Its main functions (search and rescue at sea, marine environmental protection, control of sea fishing, registration of merchant vessels,
underwater archaeology, counter-terrorism and security services, recruitment of naval personnel, etc.) are of fundamental importance. Other functions include port area activities such as the supervision of port functioning,
navigation safety, and the control of ships – national and international (Port
State Control) – in order to safeguard the port and ships from potential illegal actions and to ensure the safety of the maritime terminal.
In addition, the Maritime Authority works in conjunction with the port districts of Carabinieri, the Border Police and the Navy, as regards the maritime and judicial police. The Coast Guard, which serves as a maritime police, is committed to overseeing the discipline of maritime navigation, the
regulation of events taking place in those maritime areas subject to national sovereignty, the control of maritime traffic in manoeuvring ships and
port security, the investigation of marine accidents, the control of the maritime domain and the testing and periodic inspection of coastal deposits and
other hazardous installations. Furthermore, with the duties of a judicial police, the Coast Guard is engaged in prevention, investigation and prosecution of all illegal behaviours [...] that presuppose the violation of legal
norms not only provided by the navigation code but also related to the protection of the environment, fish stocks and fishing.
Other actors who have public direction and control functions include the
following:
the Maritime Health Office, which is engaged in health-related
treatment and the control of people, ships and goods from other
countries prevented from docking for reasons related to infectious
disease control;
the Customs Agency, which carries out monitoring, verification and
checks on goods arriving in the port as well as on internal taxation
linked to international trade. The Agency combats illicit or tax evading activities such as: trafficking of weapons, drugs, cultural heritage
assets, and products that are counterfeit or not complying with regulations regarding health or environmental safety, as well as international trade in specimens of animal and plant species threatened with
extinction, as protected by the Washington Convention;
the Guardia di Finanza, which serves as an economic and financial
police force at sea, combatting counterfeiting and money laundering, as well as carrying out fiscal/customs controls, ensuring law
enforcement and maintaining public safety;
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Chapter Ten
Port Vets, who act as a Border Inspection Post and are allowed to
carry out checks on live or dead animals as well as “… on products
of animal origin, including by-products [...] and the plant products”
(D.lgs. 80/2000, art. 2) for the EU market and from third countries.
In terms of integration, the ‘intelligent’ or ‘smart’ management of the port
logistic supply chain is a fundamental element. From this point of view,
however, Italian ports are still in an embryonic stage of development, and
it is difficult to precisely highlight those measures taken by various players
in the port logistic network involving an intelligent (smart) management
strategy for maritime terminals. Some interesting projects in place in the
main Italian seaports (Genoa13, Livorno, Venice, Trieste, Gioia Tauro,
Brindisi, Bari, Barletta, etc.) concern the computerization of a number of
activities, including the following:
a) customs procedures and port logistic flows;
b) document flows (‘E-Port’);
c) completion of all administrative practices related to ship arrivals
and departures and traffic control inside port waters;
d) synchronization of all procedures (documentary and physical) affecting imports, exports and cargo handling, as well as those regarding passengers passing through the ports (Port Community
System).
The computerization of customs procedures and port logistic flows essentially concerns the relationships between ports and customs agencies relating to goods clearance. In this sense, ‘pre-clearing’ becomes crucial. This
process involves electronic procedures for documents to enable the clearance of goods before the ship berths in port. Containers previously
checked and approved through the customs information system can be
cleared immediately, thus decongesting port space, while those with any
inconsistencies are detained in areas of verification (VV.AA., 2013).
Electronic procedures, therefore, reduce storage times of goods in the port,
eliminating the risk of congestion and saturation of port spaces and, consequently, of the urban road network. The computer system handles the
necessary customs formalities within a few seconds, in contrast to the several hours required if carried out in the traditional way.
13
The port of Genoa is one of the most advanced Italian ports in regard to the use
of IT. In particular, one of the most interesting projects in terms of environmental
impact is the Environmental Energy Plan (PEAP) (cf. Tommasetti et al., 2014).
Smart Management of Port Logistic Networks - The Italian Case
219
In this respect, the Trovatore is a project still in its experimental stage
whereby the Customs Agency has shifted attention to a wider range of issues that threaten the competitiveness of the Italian port system. Through
the use of RFID technology (Radio Frequency Identification), the project
aims to identify a ‘procedural, logistical, organizational and technological’
model that is able to “… simplify the formalities for goods clearance; anticipate information on loading/unloading containers, so to speed up customs formalities; virtualize the port area including outdoor areas (hinterlands) to attract new trade; encourage the use of multimodal transport system; use electronic seals, so to evidence unauthorized opening; interface
the Customs Information System AIDA with the management information
system of the port and the dry port by interoperability solutions; optimize
the use of human resources” (VV.AA., 2013, p. 102).
A further step in the simplification of customs procedures (see Figure 2) is
represented by the Sportello Unico Doganale (‘single window’), a unique
platform able to manage documentary information requested of foreign
trade operators to complete import/export operations by making them
available to all government departments through the interactive online system AIDA.
Figure 2 - ‘Single Window’ for contextual procedures - Source: adapted from Bogliolo, 2013.
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Chapter Ten
The Sportello Unico Doganale, which promotes interoperability among
private companies; the Customs Agency; and other government departments (the Ministry of Health, Finance Police, etc.) involved in customs
operations provide many advantages in terms of less time and potential
documentary errors; more efficient use of human and financial resources
available to private operators and public administrations; the possibility of
more selective and accurate controls (risk management); and reduced nontariff barriers, i.e., transactional costs not always quantifiable, but existing,
due to organizational frictions (Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport,
2012).
The computerization of document flows (‘E-Port’)14 is an initiative to encourage the gradual development of electronic projects for ports to render
the logistics chain of port services more agile and efficient. The most relevant aspect of the project are ‘virtual offices’, which are electronic structures enabling operators to manage and control via web port operations of
containers at a port’s most strategic points, thus reducing by more than
50% the transit times of vehicles in the container terminal.
The computerization of document flows between public (particularly the
Customs Agencies and Financial Police) and private operators (customs
brokers, freight forwarders, terminal operators, warehouse workers, drivers, etc.) has the following positive outcomes:
eliminating/decreasing manual steps in compiling paper documents;
securing the exchange of information;
optimizing the series of activities to be performed;
reducing management costs and times;
improving environmental sustainability.
With regard to all administrative performances linked to the arrival and
departure of ships and traffic control inside port waters, Directive
2010/65/EU of the European Parliament has posited the conditions for the
establishment of a National Maritime Single Window through which
Member States are called on to adopt electronic means for reporting formalities concerning ships arriving in or departing from ports and simplifying administrative procedures applied to maritime transport, with particu14
E-Port originated from the need to create a system for the achievement of common goals shared by operators of the Port Community such as speeding up traffic
on toll gates, ensuring information flow security, restricting paper document
movement and enhancing efficiency in working procedures.
Smart Management of Port Logistic Networks - The Italian Case
221
lar reference to ships arriving in or departing from ports in the Member
States (art. 1, paragraph 2), through the common use of electronic transmission of information and the rationalization of reporting formalities (art.
1, paragraph 1) [...] via a unique interface, as soon as possible, and in any
event no later than 2015.
Italy, interpreting the European Directive, approved (Law December 17,
2012 n. 221) the Port Management Information System (PMIS) as the National Maritime Single Window. The PMIS is a computer system used by
the staff of the Harbormaster in the management of all administrative tasks
related to the arrival and departure of ships and in the control of traffic inside port waters. In particular, the PMIS has three macro functions15: registration, which manages personal data and information concerning port
configuration; control, which has supervisory functions related to port traffic; and administrative procedures, which handle ship arrival and departure practices.
In performing functions such as ‘traffic control’ and the ‘presentation of
the position of the ships in the harbour,’ as headed by the ‘Control’ macroarea, the PMIS uses LVTS (Local Vessel Traffic Service) to ascertain in
real-time the location of ships via the construction of an electronic map of
the port.
With the activation of the Sportello Unico Doganale and the subsequent
National Maritime Single Window, an electronic dialogue is in place between economic operators and governments on the management of processes related to the traffic of ships and goods in ports. These two systems
constitute a preliminary step in the creation of a new organizational structure for the port system inspired by the concept of the Port Community
System (PCS)16, which is already embedded in a number of Northern European ports.
The port logistic network is characterized essentially by the presence of
subjects charged with guidance and control tasks that interact with private
subjects implementing operational activities so that its population can be
divided into actors that require services and actors that provide services.
Integration, dialogue, complementarity and interoperability between these
two types of players are topics of the PCS by virtue of peculiar ICT applications that, allowing maximum interaction between public and private
15
16
Cf. www.vts.guardiacostiera.gov.it, accessed 31st January 2015.
On the integration of the Maritime Single Desk and PCS, cf. Mega, 2014a.
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Chapter Ten
information systems, guarantee access to services through a single bureau
using web 2.0 technologies and an interconnected system of paper-based
processes and physical movement (Puliafito, 2013).
In short, the PCS is an effective “… ICT application for organizing the integrated and coordinated access of users and service providers [under the
guidance and supervision of the Port Authority, authors’ note], synchronizing physical and documentary procedures concerning imports, exports
and goods [and passengers, authors’ note] passing through the ports” (Puliafito, 2013, p. 7).
A concrete example of the PCS is the Gaia system, in place in the ports of
Bari, Monopoli and Barletta. The project was started in 2012 and involved
a platform of advanced technology-based services for passengers, businesses and public institutions in order to enable the intelligent and secure
exchange of information between public and private operators in the port
cluster (VV.AA., 2014; Mega, 2014b)17. The Gaia system has revolutionized the logistic network of the aforementioned ports through a series of
modules related to the following:
security and passenger boarding procedures and transport means
(Gate module) via the introduction of Security Card(s) and electronic authorizations for access that facilitate and make safer landing at the port, shipping and border controls;
online management of port area access, as subject to security plans
(Pass module) and issued by email without the need to personally
visit the offices of the Port Authority. This module has guaranteed
port operators (in particular, terminal operators and shippers) a
drastic reduction in the time required to obtain permits to access to
the port, thus eliminating paper forms and simplifying control activities;
ship tracking system (Ships module) to monitor in real-time the position of a ship and therefore to forecast its arrivals and departures
for the benefit of passengers and port services. Advance knowledge
of arrival and departure reduces or eliminates waiting times for
passengers and goods;
17
Source: VV.AA., Progetto Gaia - Generalized Automatic Exchange Of Port Information Area, Conference Proceedings, 15th July 2014
(http://www.aplevante.org/home/eventi/470-progetto-gaia-evento-di-chiusura, accessed 31st January 2015). On the same subject, and on the reasons that led to the
birth of the Gaia system, see Mega, 2014 (http://www.mariomega.it/archives/1015,
accessed 31st January 2015).
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223
promotion of regional tourism (Travel module) through a web portal supporting passengers in transit at the seaport, which offers information related to tourist itineraries in Apulia. These communications can be viewed directly on mobile devices after downloading
the appropriate app (eGaia module);
assistance to local and national authorities using all data acquired
by the Gaia system for better planning in the field of maritime
transport and intermodal logistics (Data Warehouse module).
Although in the process of integration a major role should be played by the
Port Authorities, at present, they are suffering from a severe lack of funds.
Law 84/1994 introduced the financial autonomy regime for Port Authorities, while subsequent legislation in Italy has tried to give new life to the
industry by planning a series of measures18 to swell the coffers of the Port
Authority, also using the necessary private capital to finance the infrastructure works fundamental to every port.
Despite the fact that these measures are in force, they ultimately remain
unimplemented, with damaging effects for port infrastructure and connection network finance and, consequently, for the competitiveness of individual ports and the entire national port system. Even in light of the economic problems faced by the Port Authorities, adaptation to changing
market conditions – and more generally, to the world economy – is essential. Such adaptation would require a different port management system in
which the computerization process becomes crucial to the shift toward
supply chain management. It seems thus that two important steps must be
taken in order to make the necessary changes.
18
The Law n. 296/2006 (art. 1, paragraph 990) and the subsequent inter-ministerial
Decree of October 12, 2007 provide for the allocation of a “… share of tolls other
than taxes [substantially VAT and excise duties] and port fees to be donated to
each Port Authority for the purpose of realization of works and services provided
in their port strategic plans and three-year operational plans with simultaneous
suppression of the transfers of the State” (cf. http://www.normattiva.it/urires/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:legge:2006-12-27;296, accessed 31st January 2015). Accordingly, the Law no. 244/2007 (art. 1, paragraphs 247-250,
http://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:legge:2007-12-24;244!vig.,
accessed 31st January 2015), as well as all the laws that have taken place in recent
years. For a more detailed discussion about the problem of the financial autonomy
of the Port Authority, cf. Lunghi, 2013, pp. 24 and on.
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Chapter Ten
The Diffusion of ICT in Port Authority Operations
The use of ICT tends to integrate all procedures and actors in the port logistic network. This process requires that the Port Authorities play a crucial role in engaging, beyond the duties assigned by the Law 84/1994, in
the promotion of measures for the integration and interaction of port operators and their functions, as the greater the degree of integration of the
Community Port, the greater is the opportunity for the successful application of ICT technologies in port logistics.
Therefore, from this perspective, the PA should change their prerogatives
by integrating the traditional role of ‘landlord’ with the community manager function aiming at “… coordinating all private port community members, such as terminals, ship owners, shipping lines, NVOCCs, neutral
consolidators, road haulers, railway operators and undertakers, logistics
operators, freight forwarders, customs’ brokers, shippers or consignees,
involving all public regulatory agencies and Authorities to solve existing
problems not only inside the port but also outside the port area thus promoting efficiency and competitiveness of the port premises”19.
The Role of the Port Authorities
in Logistic Supply Chain Management
The real contribution that a seaport could offer to the process of creating
value in the supply chain is related to the degree of integration among different actors in the port network. Despite ongoing efforts, numerous studies have shown enormous difficulties experienced by ports in adopting a
systemic approach due to the “… lack of a competitive community spirit
among both public and private port actors”20.
In short, it could be said that the greater the efficiency of the Port Community in terms of integration among various operators and their ability to
co-create value by strengthening their interdependencies, the greater is the
possibility of meeting customer needs. In the transformation of the port
network into a Port Community, a fundamental role is played by the Port
Authority, which must devise all necessary measures (i.e., infrastructures
19
Cf. VV.AA., 2011, Environment for the application of ICT Technologies in European Ports, Port Integration Study, Interreg. IVC, 23rd November 2011, p. 18,
http://www.rop.lv/ru/smi/zagruzki/doc_download/568-environment-forapplication-itc-technologies-european-ports.html, accessed 31st January 2015.
20
Source: De Martino and Morvillo, 2007, p. 99.
Smart Management of Port Logistic Networks - The Italian Case
225
and services) for the promotion of inter-organizational relationships
among various port operators that would be fundamental in the process
leading to customer satisfaction.
4. Conclusion
In line with the progress made in the existing scientific literature, this
chapter has tried to reconstruct and delineate the potential evolution of
port logistics from a ‘smart’ perspective. Studies on port competitiveness
have traditionally focused on the analysis of specific port services or activities facing an environment of growing complexity, given that the traditional role played by ports has changed radically. In particular, globalization and containerization have led to the development and improvement of
material infrastructures and, at the same time, to the diversification of logistics services. In a competitive key, this has generated an evolution of
ports from simple places for the handling of goods to integrated logistic
platforms characterized by links between goods’ origin of departure and
a) ports (in the case of shipping operations);
b) inter-ports (in the case of trans-shipment operations);
c) ports, inter-ports and in particular, rail gateways (in the case of unloading/loading).
A new concept for ports has thus emerged, which looks at the port as a
crucial node of an integrated logistic chain, characterized by interdependence with hinterland and dry-port areas, through multi-modal and multiservices logistic platforms. The competitive advantage of an integrated
port logistic process, both in its internal dimension (port – hinterland –
dry-port) and in the external one (port – port), relies not only on the efficiency of the single port but also on the value co-created by the system of
actors operating in the port and/or with the port, by virtue of their (integrated) abilities to offer high added value services throughout the entire
logistic process.
In this direction, Supply Chain Management represents an interesting paradigm to develop the strategic positioning of a port. This approach supports inter-actor partnerships and considers the integration of activities/processes/operations as a source of competitive advantage. In particular, integration concerns collaboration among actors, coordination of interorganizational processes and reorganization of communication flows, thus
suggesting that there is a demand for a holistic port approach, assessing,
226
Chapter Ten
influencing and being a part of the upstream-downstream pipeline within
supply chains.
Nevertheless, the institutional and regulatory conditions affecting the port
sector until the 1980s, especially with reference to the Italian context, constituted an obvious impediment to the start of these integration processes.
In fact, as highlighted in the literature analysis, ports may interpret different roles for different supply chains; how they meet such requirements depends on their strategy for growth. Above all, stakeholders must determine
how to combine the particular strategies of one port with the strategies of
other organizations in the supply chain (Mangan et al., 2008; Pettit and
Beresford, 2009; De Martino and Morvillo, 2008).
In this perspective, the intelligent (smart) management of the logistic network, achieved by virtue of ICT solutions, would render fluid information
flows among players and improve data processing within the port community. In order to delineate this new ‘smart’ role from a systemic point of
view, therefore, the relational perspective is of fundamental importance.
Mechanisms of collaboration, coordination and cooperation take place
among the (public/private) actors of a port community; in such a development, as a scientific implication, the Business Relational View (Pellicano
et al., 2014) would represent a valid interpretation, with due regard being
paid to the sustainability of the relational context (that, in the present perspective, would be the portion of the port supply chain with which value
co-creation takes place).
In regard to managerial implications, this would mean, most probably, that
modern logistic managers, when engaged in handling a port supply chain,
should be deeply aware of the ‘smart’ possibilities/opportunities of current
and future ICT solutions, giving increasing importance to the information
side of the port logistic process rather than to its physical side. Consequently, it is also possible that, in the hierarchical distribution of network
governance power, at least with respect to the past, Chief Logistic Managers could be forced to share a major portion of their action perimeter with
Chief Information Officers.
It is evident, in conclusion, that port system competitiveness depends on
efficient partner interactions that have been activated along the logistic
network of maritime terminals involved in the whole chain by virtue of
increasingly modern technological infrastructures (up to the ‘internet of
things’, that would make any object of the port logistic process work as a
smart component). Obviously, this is true not only in relation to port or-
Smart Management of Port Logistic Networks - The Italian Case
227
ganization in the strict sense, with its actors and processes, but also with
reference to its evolution into a real port community (always by virtue of
technology), impacting decisively on the co-creation of value in a specific
supply chain.
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CHAPTER ELEVEN
INNOVATION CAPACITY IN FAMILY BUSINESS:
A SURVEY FROM AN ITALIAN SAMPLE
STEFANO BRESCIANI AND FEDERICO BALBO
Introduction
The family business is a significant organizational typology in the global
economy, responsible for a large part of a country’s GNP and
employement in the labour force. In Italy, more than 75% of firms are
family-run, and more than 80% of the labour force is absorbed by family
businesses (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2014; Corbetta et al., 2014).
Family firms compete in the global and dynamic marketplace with unique
resources, making them different from non-family firms. A family
business is an entrepreneurial organization in which one or several
families exert their influence on the properties and/or the management of
the business itself (Demattè and Corbetta, 1993). More specifically, family
firms differ in terms of goals (Tagiuri and Davis, 1992), size and financial
structure (Romano et al., 2000; Garcia-Castro and Aguilera, 2014),
international structures and strategies (Zahra et al., 2004; Gagnè et al.,
2014), corporate governance (Golinelli, 2000; Montemerlo, 2000) and
entrepreneurial behaviour (Zahra and Sharma. 2004).
The three main elements that characterize a family business are: (a) the
influence of the family on the firm, justified by the legal ownership of all
(or part of) the risk capital; (b) the entrepreneurial activity intimately
identified with one or several families for one or more generations; (c) the
relatives who work in the family firm run and own (jointly or separately)
the family assets in a complex environment, often marked by family
conflicts (Devecchi, 2007).
234
Chapter Eleven
Innovativeness is an important strategic resource that family-run firms can
use to achieve a competitive advantage, and determining whether family
and non-family businesses differ in their processes of innovation is a
crucial point to understand the capabilities of this kind of firm and the
possibility of surviving and competing in the global economy (Tanewski
et al., 2003). Entrepreneurship and innovation are of fundamental
importance to our economy as they spur economic growth and wealth
creation (Barringer and Ireland, 2008; Bresciani, 2010; Bresciani et al.,
2015).
Innovation stimulates firms’ growth and, importantly, this growth occurs
almost regardless of the condition of the larger economy. Interest in
understanding the factors associated with innovation has continued in line
with an ever-increasing competitive marketplace. Competition among
firms arises as they try to increase profits by devoting resources to creating
new products and developing new ways of making existing products. The
competition posed by new products is more important than the marginal
price changes to existing products (Schumpeter, 1934).
Already in 1934, Schumpeter emphasized the process of “creative
destruction” indicating how entrepreneurial innovations make current
products and technologies obsolete and fuel economic activity for new
products. Uncovering how to promote innovation, acquire and utilize
knowledge, and apply this to the development of new products
preoccupies many, regardless of organization or industry (Tardivo, 2008;
Maggioni and Del Giudice, 2011; Trequattrini et al., 2012; Tardivo et al.,
2011).
The Schumpeterian view of innovation concentrates on the way a firm
manages its resources over time and develops capabilities that influence its
innovation performance. However, studying firms over time is difficult.
For example, as small family-orientated firms grow from concentrating
their resources on a single activity to diversifying into a range of products
and services, many are absorbed by larger firms that subsequently develop
into diversified functional enterprises. Others remain family controlled and
reach considerable size, with varying levels of diversity.
The role of innovation has been studied in large and publicly traded firms
and high-tech ventures, also regarding R&D issues (Dias and Bresciani,
2006; Bresciani and Ferraris, 2014; Bresciani et al, 2015). However, those
firms that have remained family-owned have been largely ignored by
innovation researchers.
Innovation Capacity in Family Business
235
This paper studies the influence of family characteristics on family owned
firms and on innovation capacity, with a focus on the differences in
innovative behaviour between family and non-family firms. So, the paper
is structured as follows. First, in Section 2, we give a definition of the
concepts of innovation and family business. This part allows us to set the
hypotheses of Section 3. Then, in Section 4, we present the method,
describing the sample and the statistical tools used in the analysis. Finally,
in Sections 5 and 6, we present the results, we discuss them and we offer
conclusions.
Determinants of Innovation in Family Businesses:
A Resources Perspective
It is difficult to find a unique definition of both family business and
innovation. Moreover, it is even more difficult to find a definition of the
link between them, as the terms have assumed a wide range of meanings.
So, in this paper, in accordance with Chua, Chrisman and Sharma, we
define a family business as “a business governed and/or managed with the
intention to shape and pursue the vision of the business held by a dominant
coalition controlled by members of the same family or a small number of
families in a manner that is potentially sustainable across generations of
the family or families” (Chua, Chrisman, & Sharma, 1999, p. 25). On the
other hand, according with Lumpkin and Dess, we define innovation as “a
firm’s tendency to engage in and support new ideas, novelty,
experimentation, and creative processes that may result in new products,
services, or technological processes. Although innovations can vary in
their degree of radicalness, innovativeness represents a basic willingness
to depart from existing technologies or practices and venture beyond the
current state of the art” (Lumpkin & Dess, 1996, p. 142).
Initial studies regarding innovation in family firms found that they were
less innovative than non-family firms (Donckels and Fröhlich, 1991,
Morck and Yeung 2003; Pearson et al., 2014). In fact, family businesses
present an aversion to risk and resist changing to invest in new ventures,
and tend to lack innovative capacity since they are more likely to
maximize their profits by investing in political rent-seeking behaviour
rather than in innovation. That is the reason why the literature often
criticizes family firms for their lack of innovation (Carney, 2005).
From a strategic point of view, a family business is considered a business
that develops across generations. It follows that innovation is family-based
236
Chapter Eleven
if and only if spontaneous interaction between family members across
generations takes place and it is relevant to the process’s outcome. It is
difficult for innovation in family business to take place without both
generations being involved. The secret of innovation in family business
lies in the capacity to dynamically balance power and trust, control and
freedom in the developmental process of a senior-junior relationship. Both
roles contribute to the quality of this relationship. On the one hand, parents
should be able to set their children free to follow their own pathways; but
at the same time, it is their responsibility to try to stimulate their children
to develop the necessary competencies to continue in the family business.
The parents should not force them to follow their own career and, on the
other hand, children should have a vision and be ready to take full
responsibility for developing of that vision. Intergenerational innovation
does not take place in a context where each party is set free to follow his
or her own interests and career (Litz and Kleysen, 2001).
Then, family firms are characterized by specific generational evolutionary
stages. It is possible to recognize three broad stages of family business
evolution: the controlling-owner stage, in which the founder exercises the
control rights; the sibling partnership stage, in which several members of a
single generation (sibling team) control the firm; and the cousin
consortium stage, in which several family branches represent ownership
(Lubatkin et al., 2005). This evolution may be detrimental to the long term
investment perspective and the pursuit of more innovative strategies. In
addition, Westhead and Howorth (2006) argue that multi-generation
family firms may also have a lower entrepreneurial drive than firstgeneration family firms.
Moreover, referring to managerial determinants of innovation, several
authors of entrepreneurship, strategy and management literature have
emphasized the importance of managerial characteristics in explaining
performance differences in terms of innovation (Hoffman and Hegarty,
1993; Wu, Levitas and Priem, 2005; Elenkov, Judge and Wright, 2005).
The hypotheses formulated in these studies are based on top managers’
capacity to influence or challenge strategic decisions using certain
personality attributes, or the influence of executives’ experience on
strategic firm choices, known as CEO locus of control, CEO-tenure, and
top management heterogeneity (Van Gils et al., 2008). They all have a
positive influence on the innovation process.
Next to managerial determinants, several studies also suggest that specific
family-related variables may explain variation in innovative output (e.g.
Innovation Capacity in Family Business
237
Sirmon and Hitt, 2003; Le Breton- Miller and Miller, 2006; Kellermanns
et al., 2008; Bresciani and Ferraris, 2012). The theoretical arguments
behind this rationale are mainly resource and agency based. In fact
empirical evidence of the relationship between innovation and family
characteristics is scant. In the literature, family determinants of innovation
are built on the resource-based view.
Patient financial capital is one of the main resources that provide family
firms with potential advantages over non-family firms. Family firms have
a longer investment time horizon and could focus more on long term
results. The effective management of this financial capital is especially
important given the primary objective of continuing the firm as a familyrun business. Hence, patient capital creates the necessary conditions for
pursuing more creative and innovative strategies (Sirmon and Hitt, 2003).
Regarding family management, and more specific family CEOs, it is often
argued that the presence of family members in the board team may reduce
agency costs and increase stewardship attitudes. In addition, family CEOs
are expected to perform better than non-family CEOs (Bennedsen et al.,
2007). The distinction between a family and a non-family CEO and its
relationship with innovation has been recently investigated, finding a
result that show how family CEOs negatively influence organizational
innovation (Van Gils et al., 2008).
The aim of our study is to extend the knowledge about how family
businesses compete in innovation, taking into account their characteristics
and their differences with non-family firms. In particular, we refer to the
“familiness” of firms: their human, social and marketing capital (Sirmon
and Hitt, 2003, Miller and LeBreton-Miller, 2005, Llach Pagès and
Nordqvist, 2009). We focus on these resources, thinking that family firms
have a potential advantage and this should positively affect their
innovative behaviour, with a difference to non-family firms and against
the conventional wisdom that family firms are less innovative than nonfamily ones.
“Familiness” is described as the unique bundle of resources created by the
interaction of family and business (Habberson and Williams, 1999).
Familiness can be a point of difference that contributes to a competitive
advantage. One of the main advantages is the use of a unique language,
which allows members to communicate more efficiently and to exchange
more information. It is a resource that shows a deep linkage with human,
social and marketing capital.
238
Chapter Eleven
Hypotheses
As we have just stated, we are going to extend the knowledge about how
family businesses compete in innovation, referring to the “familiness” of
firms: their human, social and marketing capital.
Human capital can be defined as “the knowledge and skills embodied in
people” (Hatch and Dyer, 2004). Human capital is an important family
firm resource because it can give the firm a competitive advantage through
skills, abilities or attitudes (Sirmon and Hitt, 2003). However, most of the
related literature suggests that family firms are constrained by their limited
pool of human capital, which often lacks qualified employees. The main
reason for the lack of qualified employees lies in the difficulty of attracting
and retaining non-family qualified employees into the firm due to certain
long-term barriers (Donnelley, 1964). For these reasons, it is possible to
formulate the following hypotheses:
Hp1: To support innovation, family firms devote a lower proportion of
human capital than non-family firms.
Then, following Adam’s (2006) and Pagès and Nordqvist’s (2009) models,
we can investigate that:
Hp1a: The percentage of qualified employees is lower in family firms than
in non-family firms.
Hp1b: The percentage of employees devoted to R&D activities is lower in
family firms than in non-family firms.
Following Putnam (1993), we define social capital as the resources that
exist in relationships among people. Keeping a high level of social capital
is important to gain access to other forms of capital (e.g., intellectual,
human, and financial capital) that are needed for a firm to survive (Sirmon
and Hitt, 2003). Social capital provides information, technological
knowledge, access to markets, and complementary resources; it can reduce
transaction costs, facilitate information flows, knowledge creation,
creativity and alliance success (Nahapiet and Ghoshal, 1998).
Family firms may have some advantages in developing social capital,
especially with customers who can sustain the business in times of trouble.
They also enjoy long-term relationships with external stakeholders, and
through them, they develop and accumulate social capital. As a result,
Innovation Capacity in Family Business
239
social capital is one of the factors contributing to high firm performance.
Cooperation often is a means of complementing the lacking internal
resources: firms find solutions in their nearest environment, provided by
competitors, suppliers, customers, research centres and/or universities.
Consequently, it is possible to investigate the following hypotheses:
Hp2: The use of cooperation agreement to support innovation is higher in
family firms than in non-family firms.
In order to deeply analyze the degree of cooperation, we can split the
sample into three sub-samples which permit us to formulate the following
sub-hypotheses:
Hp2a: Family firms have a higher level of cooperation than non-family
firms in production.
Hp2b: Family firms have a higher level of cooperation than non-family
firms in purchasing.
Hp2c: Family firms have a higher level of cooperation than non-family
firms in services/sales/distribution.
While human capital is important for the initial and developing stages of
the innovation process, in the stage of launching and implementation,
other capabilities gain importance, such as market investigation, market
testing and promotion. Family firms, due to their high social capital, have
access to different resources such as information, technology, knowledge,
financial capital and distribution networks (Arregle et al., 2007; Del
Giudice et al., 2010). These resources also permit them to communicate
more closely with costumers, and build marketing capital with possible
direct effects on the firm’s innovativeness, or more indirect effects such as
facilitating the development of innovation. Last, the flexibility of family
firms, especially small and medium sized ones, has additional advantages
with regard to the customization of products and services; in fact, the
demand structure has changed from ‘mass production’ goods to high
quality ‘individualized’ products. Family firms, from this point of view,
are likely to be closer to the customer than non-family firms. According to
Adams et al. (2006), one of the most important factors for the success of a
company is its capacity to successfully introduce new products and
services into the market. So, the last hypothesis can be the following:
240
Chapter Eleven
Hp3: The proportion of new products launched into the market is higher
in family firms than in non-family firms.
Method
The research was done in two separate phases: in the first phase, we
selected a sample of 400 Italian firms from AIDA, a database of company
accounts, ratios, and activities of more than 700,000 Italian companies; in
the second phase, we sent a structured questionnaire to the 400 firms of the
sample. 127 firms answered the questionnaire, with a response rate of 32
per cent.
In this paper, the model of analysis is the same as the one used by Llach
Pagès and Nordqvist (2009), while to identify family firms, we refer to the
statement by Chua et al. (1999), according to which a family firm is every
firm that has the perception of being a family firm by itself.
Table 1 shows some basic descriptive statistics of the responding
companies. In the Italian scenario, there are more family firms than nonfamily firms (59.8% vs. 40.2%). The biggest percentage of family firms is
in the manufacturing sector (41 firms, i.e. 53.9%).
Table 1: Number of firms by economic activity and family vs. nonfamily.
Main activity
Family Non-family % Family firms Total
Manufacturing
41
26
61.2%
67
Services
12
9
57.1%
21
Finance
4
9
30.8%
13
Food & Beverage
17
5
77.3%
22
Pharma
2
2
50.0%
4
TOTAL
76
51
59.8%
127
Factor Analysis
In order to verify that the items of each stream only load on a single factor
and the discriminant validity, a principal component analysis was
performed to validate the convergent validity of the measures detected in
the literature.
Factor analysis is a statistical method used to describe variability among
observed variables in terms of fewer unobserved variables called factors.
Innovation Capacity in Family Business
241
The observed variables are modelled as a linear combination of the factors,
plus “error” terms. The information gained about the interdependencies
will be used to reduce the set of variables in a dataset. Company size is
related to size and “family”, so it is necessary to verify its potential effect.
We have verified the possibility of using the factor analysis model thanks to
two different tests: Barlett’s spherificity test and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin
(KMO) index. The Barlett statistic gives evidence of a value
=1433.96 (p
value 0.0001); the KMO (0.550) also confirms the analysis.
Table 2 gives evidence of the result due to the factor analysis. A varimax
rotation was applied in order to better analyze the components. The
analysis extracted four factors, choosing those which presented
eigenvalues greater than one. These four factors explained 89.24% of the
total variance.
As it is possible to see from the Table 2, there is a strong relation between:
(1) the two measures defining human capital, and that it means that firms
with qualified employees devote a high number of them to R&D; (2) the
measures defining social capital, and that it means that co-operations in
production, purchasing, and services/sales/distribution are strongly linked;
(3) the measures defining marketing capital, and that it means that many
new products from the firm are new for the market too; (4) the two control
variables, and that it means there is no effect on the other variables.
Table 2: Rotated Component Matrix
1
Human capital
Qualified employees
Employee in R&D
Social capital
Co-operation in production
Co-operation in purchasing
Co-operation in
services/sales/distribution
Marketing capital
Proportion of new product into the
market
Proportion of new market products
into the market
Component
2
3
4
0.933
0.925
-0.042
-0.005
0.022
0.030
0.111
0.220
0.051
0.087
0,909
0,927
0.005
0.027
0.060
0.120
-0.050
0,805
0.008
0.070
0.048
0.045
0,997
0.210
0.033
-0.010
0,998
0.098
242
Company size
Employees
Turnover (log)
Chapter Eleven
0.170
0.230
0.055
0.072
0.078
-0.013
0,843
0,793
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis Rotation Method: Varimax
with Kaiser Normalization a.Rotation converged in 4 iterations
Results and Discussion
In this section, we present the results of the comparison between family
and non-family firms using constructed analysis based on human capital,
social capital and marketing capital. Using the Mann-Withney U-test, it is
possible to compare family and non-family firms.
Table 3 gives evidence that family firms outperform non-family firms in
all the variables considered. Moreover, five out of eight measures are
statistically significant. These results are in the same directions as Llach
Pagès and Nordqvist (2009), but in contrast with most of the literature. As
we described in Sections 1 and 2, in fact, most of the literature states that
family firms are less innovative than non-family firms. The evidence, here,
is very clear and can be summarized as follows.
For human capital, family firms have a higher average value, both in
qualified employees and in employees devoted to R&D. So, hypothesis 1
has to be rejected.
Table 3: Summary of basic descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U
test
Non-family firm
Family firm
Mean St.Desv. Mean St.Desv.
Signif.
Human capital
Qualified employees
127.02 368.38 247.23 553.11 0.0200*
Employee in R&D
20.32
58.94
61.81
138.28 0.0001**
Social capital
0.87
0.0001**
Co-operation in
0.65
0.84
1.25
production
Co-operation in
0.73
0.0001**
0.29
0.50
1.30
purchasing
0.80
0.0001**
Co-operation in
0.69
0.88
1.38
services/sales/distribution
Innovation Capacity in Family Business
Marketing capital
Proportion of new
product into the market
Proportion of new market
products into the market
0.17
0.04
0.19
0.12
0.04
0.13
243
0.06
0.06
0.3250
0.6680
* indicate that the Mann-Withney U-test is significant (p<0.05)
** indicate that the Mann-Withney U- test is significant (p<0.0005)
For social capital, family firms outperform non-family firms in every area
considered. However, the higher difference is in purchasing. So,
cooperation and relationship are one of the key competitive factors of
family firms in comparison with non-family firms. For all these reasons,
hypothesis 2 is accepted.
Finally, for marketing capital, there is no statistically significant
difference. In any case, the average data are very similar between family
and non-family firms, with very little prevalence for family firms.
Conclusion
The main goal of the paper was to study the influence of family
characteristics, and of family owned firms, on innovation capacity. We
focused on the differences in innovative behaviour between family and
non-family firms.
To achieve a competitive advantage, as we know, family firms can use
innovation. Although there are not many studies about innovation in
family firms, we know that there are research studies on the link between
innovation and aversion to risk in family firms. In other words, it is very
common to say that family firms are not useful with regard to risk, so their
level of innovation is lower. However, our study analyzes the innovative
behaviour of family firms in a comparison between three resources: human
capital, social capital and marketing capital.
Using the same model on a Spanish sample, Llach Pagès and Nordqvist
(2009) found that family firms are more innovative than non-family firms.
This was a result so different from the existing literature that we decided
to apply the same model to an Italian sample. The result was, more or less,
the same: family firms outperform non-family firms in human and social
capital.
244
Chapter Eleven
Also, family firms have the need to attract and use qualified employees
(see hypotheses 1); the high level of collaboration in family firms (see
hypotheses 2) seems to give evidence of their heavy link with territory.
These findings might have been expected in marketing capital (see
hypotheses 3) due to the fact that family firms base a big part of their
competitive advantage with a strong connection with their surroundings.
These findings are even more relevant in the Italian case, where clusters
are based on the flexible specialization between a large number of SMEs
sharing a complementary technological specialization in a territorial
network of common norms and values. Until recently, this competitive
frame has been the source of advantages for both the firms belonging to
this network and for the regions where these networks have emerged.
However, the main source of this competitive advantage, the possibility of
sharing the costs of learning and innovation in a territorial network, is
closed to being exhausted. The main reason is that the extension of the
network is insufficient to metabolize the degree of complexity generated
by the global process of interaction between people, institutions and firms.
The local network of shared norms and values has become a barrier to
local knowledge creation because it constrains interaction rather than
leveraging it across geographical boundaries.
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CHAPTER TWELVE
INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY:
THE ROAD TO SUCCESS FOR WINE
TOURISM DESTINATIONS1
ANGELA SCILLA AND MILENA VIASSONE
Abstract
The meaning of destination sustainability is explored in literature and
more and more wine destinations are at the centre of the economic debate.
Despite a wealth of literature on the sustainability and innovation of a
tourist destination, only a few contributions explore these topics with
regard to wine tourism (an important Italian competitiveness driver) and a
few use the approach of case study to explore it. This paper bridges this
gap by providing a very careful analysis of dimensions affecting wine
destinations through the description of an interesting case study, proposing
development strategies. This paper aims at describing the dimensions of
sustainable wine destinations from the community perspective (by also
considering the driver of innovation) and at examining the exemplar case
studies of a destination famous for its prestigious wines: Piedmont. In a
first step, the analysis consists of exploring - through a careful literature
review – the main dimensions affecting the innovation and sustainability
of a wine tourist destination. In a second phase, a case method involving
1
Although this chapter is based on a combined effort, Prof. Milena Viassone is to
take credit for paragraphs “Wine tourist destinations”, “Sustainability of tourist
destinations”, “Environmental sustainability”, “Economic sustainability”, “Sociocultural sustainability”; “The sustainability framework of Piedmontese wine
destinations”, “Implications for sustainability” and “Managerial implications”
while Angela Scilla for paragraphs “Introduction”, “Innovation in wine tourist
destinations”, “The innovation framework of Piedmontese wine destinations” and
“Implications in innovations”.
250
Chapter Twelve
multi-stakeholder input is employed to identify issues specific to Italian
wine destinations that are the object of our study. The research findings
show how the sustainability of a wine destination is affected by three
important dimensions (environmental, economic and socio-cultural
sustainability). This case illustrates challenges that regions which
aggressively pursue wine tourism development have to cope with, but it
deals also with implications for agriculture, the natural environment and
the community. In addition to strategies and implementation methods,
comparisons and recommendations made for Piedmont provide an
important starting point for other destinations engaged in wine tourism.
Keywords: Innovation, Sustainability, Wine Tourism, Tourist Destination,
Tourist Strategies, Piedmont
Introduction
Although the last 7 years have been characterized, especially for advanced
economies, by the difficult economic scenario, the tourism sector is
confirmed as one of the fastest growing sectors in the twenty-first century,
responsible for 9% of worldwide GDP. (Wto, 2014).
Tourism continues to be an important driver of development, prosperity
and well-being because it enhances economic growth and encourages local
development by increasing employment and national income (Szivaz et
al., 2003; Torres and Momsen, 2004; Na Sakalnakorn and Naipinit, 2011).
Moreover, it is one of the sectors that has the ability to improve
competitiveness between territories, to promote territorial innovation
(Gemmiti and Salvati, 2010) and thus enhance the attractiveness of the
destinations (Weaver, 2006; Scheyvens and Momsen, 2008).
The development of the attractiveness and competitiveness of a
destination, also touristwise, is possible only from the point of view of
sustainability, i.e., by taking care of the environmental, economic and
socio-cultural aspects of a territory (Tardivo et al., 2014).
The strong relationship between innovation and tourism has a positive
impact on GDP and the health of national economies (Jimenez-Zarco et
al., 2011), above all in the European countries, since, in the tourism sector,
most of the economic value is represented by experiences (Tsaur et al.,
2007). The growth of competitiveness, the increase of information thanks
to technological innovations, and more sophisticated and demanding
tourists have determined a shift away from focusing on facilities and
Innovation and Sustainability
251
services to focusing on providing customized experiences (Knutson et al.,
2006; Buonincontri et al., 2012).
New types of innovations are changing the competitive landscape through
new technologies, such as high-speed Internet, powerful and cheap
memory capacities, and mobile devices.
Even though innovation concepts have gradually percolated into the
tourism literature, researches on tourism innovation policies have been
limited (Hall, 2009; Hall and Williams, 2008; Hjalager, 2010, 2012;
Bresciani et al., 2012, 2014, 2015). This situation reinforces Hjalager’s
(2012) assessment that research on tourism innovation policies remains
‘extremely fragmented and largely ignored’ (Rodríguez et al., 2014).
If all this is important for the development of tourist destinations in
general, it is even more important for wine tourist destinations. In fact, in
Italy, the wine sector has increased its revenue by about 10%, also for
overseas sales (Mediobanca, 2014); moreover, in recent years wine
tourism has been considered as a complementary way to generate income
and employment in rural areas (Boatto et al., 2013).
Given the importance of innovation in the development of tourist
destinations, without neglecting the environmental, cultural and economic
sustainability, this paper aims at describing the dimensions of sustainable
wine destinations from the community perspective (by also considering
the driver of innovation) and at examining the exemplar case studies of a
destination famous for its prestigious wines: Piedmont.
To show the strong relationship between innovation and sustainability of
the wine tourism destination, this chapter is organized in two parts. The
first part proposes a survey of most recent contributions on:
- wine tourism destinations;
- the three dimensions of sustainability of tourist destinations;
- the importance of innovation in wine tourism destinations.
The second part proposes a presentation of a framework of wine tourism
destinations in Piedmont (Italy) where a case method involving multistakeholder input is employed to identify issues specific to the Italian wine
destination object of our study (Carlisle et al., 2013). The second part of
this chapter ends with a discussion of the implications of both innovation
and sustainability.
252
Chapter Twelve
Literature Review
Wine Tourism Destinations
Recognized as a significant component of both the wine and tourist
industries (Ye et al., 2014; MacDonald et al., 2013; Hall et al., 2000),
wine tourism has increased its importance in recent years. More and more,
environmental and cultural properties assume a very important role and,
when taken into account, this can make wine an identity good, able to pick
out cultural aspects of a territory (Tardivo et al., 2012; Viassone et al.,
2014). The topic of wine tourism destinations is widely analyzed because
wine tourism (Hall et al., 2000) has assumed an increasing importance in
terms of tourist flows and ability to determine specific behavioral models
(Scorrano et al., 2013; Mitchell et al., 2000). Nowadays the tourist
industry has to cope with new challenges because tourists search for multioptional offers and experiences which are delivered in an exciting but also
comfortable and authentic atmosphere (Reiter, 2004; ETC, 2006). Wine
tourism is capable of fulfilling many of these requirements.
A clear example of a sustainable and attractive form of tourism that
perfectly fits Italian rural regions is wine tourism (Presenza et al., 2010).
In particular it is defined by Hall et al. (2000: 2) as
“… touring vineyards, wineries, wine festivals and wine exhibitions,
where wine-tasting and/or experiencing the attributes of the wine regions
are the principal factors of motivation for the visitors”.
Another definition of wine-tourism destinations is provided by Brown and
Getz (2005: 3); in their opinion these are
“…regions which base some or all of their appeal on wineries and winerelated benefits”.
In particular, the two authors (2006) maintain that the wine tourist’s
experience in determined by three groups of characteristics: wine product,
destination appeal and cultural product.
Scorrano et al. (2013) identify several factors able to attract tourists
towards wine destinations: the first one is of course wine, with its
additional services and products. Other authors focus their attention on the
motivations that push tourists towards a wine destination: they are
attracted by the possibility of visiting wine tourism destinations because of
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their desire to visit vineyards, to taste food, to attend festivals and events
(Mitchell et al., 2004).
According to Charters and Ali-Knight (2002: 312), the wine tourism
experience can be provided through events and festivals, cultural heritage,
eating, hospitality, education, tasting and cellar-door sales and winery
tours. Several researches have been carried out on the side of wine tourism
demand (Carlsen and Bocksberger, 2015; Cho et al., 2014). In particular,
Quadri-Felitti and Fiore (2012) segmented wine tourism using different
variables while Nella and Christou (2014) emphasized the strict link
between consumer, wine, firm and territory. Bruwer and Alant (2009)
proposed a classification of visitor expectation: during the first visit,
consumers look for vacation and fun while others are attracted by wine
atmosphere, wine purchasing and meeting winemakers (Capitello et al.,
2013). Capitello et al. (2013) proposed the application of discrete choice
models to the study of tourism destinations, from the point of view of
visitor experience; in particular, they analyzed the way wine and food
contribute to the tourism experience.
According to Weber and Ali-Knight (2011), wine tourism can help create
a brand and image of the winery and wine region, representing an
important factor for tourists to visit a destination. For this reason, Charters
and Ali-Knight (2002) assert that the development of wine tourism can be
considered a valuable marketing opportunity to increase the value of the
destination.
Sustainability of Tourist Destinations
In the last decades, the topic of sustainable tourist destinations (Juvan and
Dolnicar, 2014) has increasingly been at the center of the economic debate
(Delgrado and Palomeque, 2014; Franch et al., 2010). It is widely
accepted in the literature that the future competitiveness of destinations
(Phelan and Lund-Durlacher, 2013) will be based on their ability to be
sustainable in time (Jaafar et al., 2015) in terms of economic, natural and
cultural resources (Tardivo et al., 2014).
The concept of sustainability begins with the famous definition of
sustainable development
(“development is sustainable if it satisfies needs of present generations
without compromising possibilities for future destinations to satisfy their
needs”)
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proposed in the Brundtland Report in 1987 and applied to the tourist field
in the following year. In fact, tourism can be considered sustainable if it is
able to satisfy the needs of actual tourists and of host regions, forecasting
and increasing the opportunities for the future (Wto). As supported in the
international conferences in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, in Lanzarote in 1995
and in Johannesburg in 2002, at its base it has three important dimensions
(environmental, economic and social) (Kaivo-oja et al., 2015). The term
“sustainable tourism” has come to represent and encompass a set of
principles, policy prescriptions and management methods (Tardivo et al.,
2014).
Despite the fact that no definition of sustainable tourist destinations exists,
according to the Italian Association of Responsible Tourism this
terminology can be referred to every tourist activity able to preserve
natural, social and cultural resources in the long term, contributing to the
welfare of inhabitants of a specific tourist area.
Several influential papers have increased the understanding of the highly
complex and intertwined issues of sustainable tourism, quality of life,
equity and environment (Butler, 1999; Collins, 1999; Farrell and TwiningWard, 2004; Hunter, 1997).
In particular, Jovicic (2014) focuses on the key tasks and challenges in
managing tourism in a sustainable way.
Tosun (2001) identifies the six principles of sustainable tourism that may
be summarized in a balanced triangular relationship between host areas
and host communities, tourists and the tourist industry where no
stakeholder upsets the equilibrium (Lane, 1994).
According to some authors, sustainability could even become
synonymous with the long-term competitiveness (Godfrey and Clarke,
2002) of a destination (Ritchie and Crouch, 2000).
Furthermore, sustainable tourism can be better considered either as an
“adaptive paradigm” (Hunter, 1997) or as “adaptive management” (Farrell
and Twining-Ward, 2004), which addresses issues of the unpredictability
of events, uncertainties about the outcome of events and complexities of
scale and times (Lu and Nepal, 2009). A suitable strategy of sustainable
tourism development should contribute to the same by creating jobs at
local level as well as structures capable of facilitating investments, by
increasing cooperation between public and private sector and by ensuring
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local tourist cohesion of the initiatives (Ene and Bărăitaru, 2010). More
and more, there is the belief that the combination of competitivenesssustainability has an important role in the context of tourist destinations
(Franch et al., 2010) and that the future competitiveness of destinations
will be based on their ability to be sustainable in time in terms of
economic, environmental and cultural resources (Tardivo et al., 2014).
Anyway, the development of sustainable destinations would be realistic
only if every stakeholder agreed on priorities and it is for this reason that
territorial managers develop strategies in order to achieve sustainable
competitive advantages for tourist destinations (Tardivo et al., 2014),
including also benchmarking techniques (Kozak and Rimmington, 1999).
Environmental Sustainability
Sustainability can imply vastly different territorial strategies depending on
interpretation, particularly in relation to the degree to which environmental
and other resources should be consumed over time (Markulev and Long,
2013). Environmental sustainability refers to the sustainable use of natural
resources and applies methods in which the world can continue to develop
economically and socially without damaging the planet (Purandare, 2009).
Environmental sustainability (Bagur-Fermenias et al., 2015; Pouldel and
Nyaupane, 2013) could be considered a key pillar of sustainable
development; in particular, world leaders identify “respect for nature” as a
fundamental value required in the 21st century and call for a new ethic of
conservation.
The Rio Conference marked the beginning of a worldwide commitment
which recognizes the principle that the right to develop must be exercised
in such a way that it satisfies social and environmental needs of current
and future generations in an equitable manner. This expresses the need for
certain rules of resource and environmental management for the
compatibility of economies with their environments (Creaco and Querini,
2003). In fact, also in the tourist sector environmental impacts can be
caused, for example, by an excessive and non-controlled development of
tours that could lead to a degradation and a depletion of natural resources,
by the phenomenon of seasonality that provokes the concentration of
tourist flows in specific periods of the year, by water and energy disposal
or by atmospheric and marine pollution (Santonocito, 2009).
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In literature there seems to be agreement on the need for tourism resources
to be made available for the enjoyment of future generations. In effect, the
industry should improve the impact of tourism on the environment and, at
the same time, reduce the consumption of natural resources (Mensah,
2006).
Anyway, tourism could also contribute in a positive way to environmental
preservation. In particular, the protection of the environment can be
achieved through the consideration of ecosystems and their carrying
capacities (Purandare, 2009).
Despite the different definitions of social, environmental and cultural
sustainability, there is no a clear distinction between them given that the
content of each domain overlaps with the others. In fact, the sustaining of
desired environmental conditions directly contributes to social
sustainability, while the viability of economy depends on environmental
resources. In this way, economic sustainability depends on environmental
sustainability (Sutton, 2004).
Economic Sustainability
As previously affirmed, sustainability is usually represented as based on
three different pillars: environmental/ecological, economic and social
(Adams, 2006). As with any other economic activity, tourism impacts on
the territory, so the main task of sustainability must be the reduction of
negative impacts and the maximization of the positive ones, in order to
give a perfect integration of the different dimensions of this paradigm
(Sciuto and Cicirello, 2010).
From the economic point of view (Higgins-Desbiollesa, 2014),
sustainability is considered as the ability to maintain over time the wellbeing of a society (Arrow et al., 2004). Several researchers have
contributed to the topic of economic sustainability (Hoffenson et al., 2014;
Webster and Ivanov, 2014; Andergassen et al., 2013). The research by
four economists: Dasgupta and Heal (1974), Solow (1974), and Stiglitz
(1974) are considered very important. In particular, they showed the
maximum level of utility that can be obtained over time with a finite
amount of natural resources. The fact that utility can be constant (Solow,
1974; Stiglitz, 1974) or declining (Dasgupta and Heal, 1974) depends on
what is assumed about the capital stock, technological progress and the
rate at which future utility is discounted (Markulev and Long, 2013).
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Furthermore, according to Purandare (2009), economic sustainability is
also concerned with the maintenance of income and capital over a period
of time. This can be achieved through the development of industry and
infrastructure in a sensitive and stable manner. The main dimensions of
economical sustainability can be identified in operational environment and
service structure, growth and measures (Merikoski, 2010). Other authors
describe economic sustainability as a necessary dimension different from
the other two (environmental and social), incorporated with a new sense of
what quantitative economic growth means (Hackler, 2013).
While Holden (2001: 3) suggests how
“economic indicators may help to develop a new conception of economy
for a sustainable society, exposing points of strain on the natural and social
environment”,
Hackler (2013) supports the idea that economic sustainability should
contain the goal of economic prosperity or vitality. The development of a
tourist destination does not require only that positive economic impacts are
higher than the negative ones but also that a criterion of rationality in the
choices - able to create economic value, to safeguard and valorize natural,
cultural and social resources - is developed. In this way, economic benefits
generated by the development must be higher than their social and
environmental costs (Sciuto and Cicirello, 2010). Sciuto and Cicirello
(2010) identify five different indices of economic sustainability: local
employment in tourism, profitability of the tourist sector, local tourism
investments, average prices of accommodation, indicator of black tourism.
Given that traditional macroeconomic indices like GDP or Value added
are not able to provide information on the interaction between the
economic and the natural system, several attempts have been made to
create modified indices of revenue. The latter can be grouped in three
different research fields (Hanley, 2000): indices based on a more
exhausted representation of welfare, indices based on revenue flows
derived by national censuses, indices based on capital stock. Furthermore,
in the same way, the European Union (2013) identifies a framework of
indices connected to the economic contribution of tourism to the economic
sustainability of a destination; such a framework is composed of: N. of
overnight stays, daily expenditure of each tourist, percentage of beds
occupied per month, percentage of people employed in tourism out of the
total of employees, percentage of tourist firms that buy local products and
services.
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Socio-cultural Sustainability
Among the multitude of dimensions faced by decision-makers, a very
important role is played by socio-cultural sustainability (Farmaki et al.,
2015).
In order to draw up suitable strategies for tourism development, planners
have to understand the roles of the traditional practices and customs and
how they contribute to sustainable lifestyles. Sustainable development
projects could reach the best results when based on negotiation among
different stakeholders (Virtanen and Saarinen, 2012). In particular, the
creation of a new supply of tourist services should not only respect these
local cultural customs but also increase their potential in order to launch a
fruitful dialogue between the local residents and the foreign tourists
(Creaco and Querini, 2003). This link is bi-directional and creates changes
in the socio-cultural structure of these stakeholders. The social aspect is
characterized by negative and positive impacts. The first are:
commodification (that is the transformation of traditional cultural events
of a particular destination in exclusively commercial activities), decline of
artistic heritage, pressures on the life quality of residents because of the
difficulty of accessing infrastructures, conflicts between tourists and
residents. On the other side, positive effects could be: valorization of local
tradition through the creation of tourist paths, interventions meant to
preserve artistic heritage, improvement of public services, higher cultural
opening (Sciuto and Cicirello, 2010).
Socio-cultural sustainability concerns the safeguard and valorization of the
cultural heritage, the identity and local resources. The main indices used to
measure this kind of sustainability focus on the effects of tourism on
residents and on the cultural heritage of the destination (European Union,
2013).
Environmental sustainability has become a prerequisite for social
sustainability; in fact, as supported by Redelift, poverty reduction is the
most important goal of sustainable development. This could come from
qualitative development, population stability, redistribution sharing and
community sodality (Goodland, 1995).
In particular, social sustainability could be obtained through the
elimination of poverty, creation of a stable and secure infrastructure, the
protection of cultures and support of local enterprises (in particular the
tourist ones) (Purandare, 2009).
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Finally, social-cultural sustainability could be considered a very important
aspect of the tourist destination sustainability.
Innovation in Wine Tourism Destinations
Innovation is seen as one of the most important drivers for the success and
growth of companies nowadays (Christensen et al., 2003; Kim and
Mauborgne, 2005), but it also plays a key role in improving the
competitiveness and attractiveness of territories.
Looking at the drinks and beverage industry, there are several historical
examples of innovative firms which created not only new products but
also new habits of consumption (for example the “Happy Hour”) and
brand management (Casswell, 2004).
Innovation concepts, typical of the industrial sector, have gradually
percolated into tourism literature, acknowledging that tourism innovation
has distinctive features including a focus on co-terminality of production
and consumption, information intensity, and the complex nature of the
tourism product (Hall and Williams, 2008). However, research on tourism
innovation policies has been limited (Hall, 2009; Hall and Williams, 2008;
Hjalager, 2010, 2012; Paget et al, 2010; Bramwell and Lane, 2012), even
if they are increasingly celebrated as integral to tourism sector and
destination development (OECD, 2006, 2012).
Anyway, nowadays one of the main claims in the wine business is the
“joining of innovation and tradition”.
Generally, countries have tried to protect themselves by exalting the
concept of territoriality and introducing a more strict national legislation
on the Denomination of Origin, which demands specific requirements in
order to officially recognize the quality of the product. Nevertheless, this
ended up confounding the consumers, especially the international and nonexpert ones, which entrust their choices to independent consultants and
industry media, such as wine guides (Corrado et al., 2009), or word of
mouth or websites considered reliable (Tripadvisor, Booking.it, etc.).
This fact led to the establishment of another important challenge for wine
producers and wine tourism destinations, especially for the Italian ones:
the increasing importance of marketing activities. Competitive positioning
and brand identity are considered key success factors, there should not be
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other investments and efforts for recognizing the “terroir d’origine”. To
bet on it means improving the attractiveness of wine tourism destinations.
The Innovation and Sustainability Framework
of Wine Tourism Destinations: The case of Piedmont
The Innovation Framework of Piedmontese Wine Destinations
Drinking a glass of wine is also considered a way to connect with a certain
country or region and to know it better: there is no surprise if, along with
the wine production, wineries increasingly offer eno-gastronomic tours of
the territory.
Piedmont is the region of production of some of the best known Italian
wines (e.g. Asti Spumante, Barolo and Barbaresco). The region produces
16 DOCG wines and 42 DOC, which represent almost 80% of the
production of the region and 15% of Italian production of wines with
denomination of origin.
Most of the wines produced in Piedmont are red and full-bodied. In the
territory there are wine bars, associations of wine producers, wineries,
wine shops, wine routes and enological museums.
The tourism sector is growing and every year it records increases in the
number of tourist arrivals and presences. Food and wine tourism is
strengthened thanks to the numerous festivals, fairs and food and wine
events.
The tourism and wine tourism destinations are not very well supported by
innovation but they are based on a concept of traditional tourism.
The choice of a wine tourism destination depends on several drivers
information technology, management and accessibility. Italy is not
performing well with respect to this (Cinelli Colombini, 2013).
A winery is usually considered accessible when the necessary time to
reach it is less than 6 h. In the current scenario, dominated by short trips of
1 or 2 days, travel time decreases and visitors choose locations that are
better connected to airports and train stations and those that are able to
communicate a comfortable, easy and convenient way to reach them.
Connection and transportation are key issues that must be better addressed
in a joint effort by the public and private sector.
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Piedmont has a good level of information technology but in the tourism
field, especially food and wine tourism, it presents the characteristics of
fragmentation. The information available to tourists is abundant but not
always found from a single source, especially if the destination is small.
Even accessibility shows some deficiencies. The infrastructure can be
improved, but most of the wine tourism sites are located far away from
airports and hard to reach by train or public transport. Furthermore,
accessibility to the wine sites is particularly problematic for people with
reduced mobility, though investments to remedy this are growing.
The Sustainability Framework of Piedmontese Wine Destinations
A clear example of a sustainable and attractive form of tourism that
perfectly fits Italian rural regions, and in particular Piedmont, is wine
tourism (Presenza et al., 2010).
With its 42 D.O.C. wines and its 16 D.O.C.G. wines, Piedmont is a very
attractive wine tourism destination. Wine, more than anything else,
expresses the real cultural and economic identity of this destination. In the
last edition of “Tre bicchieri”, 39 Piedmontese wines won awards,
confirming this destination as one of absolute quality with its different
types of wine such as Barbera, Nebbiolo (in particular Barolo and
Barbaresco), sparkling wine, etc.
Tourist operators often do not consider themselves as major contributors to
environmental degradation. The increasing awareness by tourists of the
impact of tourism on climate change is reflected in a major attention to the
effects of tourism on the environment. In fact, in the last years also wine
tourism destinations have begun to consider their environmental impact
(Baughman et al., 2000; Marshall et al., 2005). This aspect is considered
by Piedmontese tourist associations that identify high quality
characteristics at each level for tourist structures, not forgetting
environmental sustainability: in fact, eco-compatibility is a distinctive
element of this destination. This is the model that different tourist
accommodations must adopt, suggesting virtuous behavior to visitors, like
the preference for tap water or unpackaged bread or the use of paper table
linen instead of plastic.
Piedmont shows types of tourism suitably managed in the light of
sustainability that play a very important role in the economic growth of a
protected area thanks to the offer of tourist and cultural services able to
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valorize local resources. For this purpose, the improvement of compatible
ecology-wise accomodation, the link between tourist services and
valorization of wine and food tourism, the organization of sport and
educational activities, in addition to the creation of naturalistic
ecomuseums are activities necessary for an economic growth that respects
nature.
In Piedmont there is a strict relationship between environmental
sustainability, safeguarding natural resources and wine tourism: a first
attempt in this direction has been carried out with the constitution of the
BITEG (Borsa Internazionale del Turismo Enogastronomico), organized
by the Piedmont Region under the patronage of ENIT (National Tourism
Agency) (Giansanti, 2014). During this event, there are meetings between
thousands of sellers and buyers from different parts of the world.
Furthermore, thanks to the Slow Food movement, small-scale and
sustainable production of quality foods is practiced, in addition to a
promotion of sustainable ways of food and wine production and
consumption.
With regard to economic sustainability, 2013 statistical data of
Piedmontese tourism provided by the Piedmont Region show a positive
situation with an increase by 2.22% of presences compared to 2012; also
accommodations have increased from 5536 in 2012 to 5765 in 2013. The
same has occurred with respect to overnight stays.
In particular, as shown by the 2013 data of the Regional observatory,
Piedmont considers wine and food as a tourist product able to make the
destination more competitive in Europe. The hills of the Langhe, Roero
and Monferrato are increasingly recognized and known at an international
level, with a strong increase of foreign tourists with regard to arrivals
(+5%) and overnight stays (+7%). In fact, the provinces of Cuneo,
Alessandria and Asti are ranked among the first 12 in the Italian top list of
wine tourism.
Wine and food are protagonists of the new Piedmontese model of local
development: in fact, in the last 20 years Piedmont has bet on high quality
products (red wines like Barolo and Barbaresco, white wines and the
sparkling wines from the province of Asti).
With regard to socio-cultural sustainability, the leadership of Piedmont is
recognized at international level for several factors:
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its culture of “well-being”, the principle at the base of the
Piedmontese tourism offer to a more and more demanding tourist;
its cultural revolution generated by Slow Food, the international
association for the promotion of wine and food culture,
headquartered in Bra and with 70.000 partners in more than 50
countries; it promotes training and tasting courses every year,
defends typical products through the system of “Presidia” and
generates wine and food culture at high levels through its
University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo;
its ability to manage key drivers of marketing that link the wine
sector to destination: the success of events like Vinum (with the
increase of brand awareness of Langhe and Roero), important
sponsorships of cultural events like Douja d’Or in Asti (a series of
cultural, wine, food and artistic meetings), the winning of several
awards for the high quality of its wines (i.e. “Tre bicchieri” award)
(Viassone, 2012);
the choices by wine firms not only addressed to production but also
to tourism and accommodation activities; in fact, Piedmont has
created the wine roads and about 14 Regional wine shops and 34
wine shops and wine cellars in addition to the institution of the
wine districts. (Viassone et al., 2014).
Conclusive Remarks and Strategic Implications
Implications for Innovations
Innovation is a focal point of economic policies because of its perceived
contribution to competitiveness. Wine tourism is quality tourism, that
differs from mass tourism because it is not supported by any appropriate
network of facilities required by the latter, also because of the landscape
(Boatto et al., 2013).
There is certainly a need for cooperation, also transnational, which should
create a network amongst the different territories in a perspective of
collaboration and exchange of innovation tools related to traveling,
economic and cultural experiences.
The promotion of wine tourism destinations, scattered throughout
Piedmont, must be supported by promoting schemes designed to spread
information on the Web on cultural assets, tourism activities and
peculiarities of destinations (Beltramo, 2012).
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The innovation allows to find new ways of enhancing the awareness of
wine tourism destinations and promoting the product in order to make it
more attractive for the consumer.
However, the web is the key for development of wine tourism
destinations. In fact, in Italy, 10% of all the tourism business and 30% of
reservations occur online. According to TripAdvisor, mobile phones or
smartphones will be crucial for orienting visitors during their travel
experience. Future travelers will not ask for information anymore and will
look at the web for guidance on what to see, where to eat or sleep and
what to do. In other words, all the useful information to make a tour
unique will be available online (Liburd, 2005).
In order to reduce this gap, Italy needs direction, and it should come from
a national director; coordination aimed at improving and standardizing
hospitality in wine areas and at increasing its visibility on the web is
strongly needed, using a single, national database and building strong
international connections with wine lovers through social media.
Therefore, in terms of management, things are going wrong. The wine
tourism supply is organized into 170 “Wine Roads”, but only a dozen of
them are really working. There is no national coordinating body (with the
exception of “Cities of Wine”) and, moreover, there is no useful
information on the official Italian Tourism website, that only provides a
brief text page with links to other websites and statutes that have no
interest for visitors.
In line with the proposal put forward by Dallari and Mariotti (2011),
innovation and creativity, particularly when organizing cultural heritage
and its marketing and communication (even through an instrument such as
a Cultural Route), can be the right methods to reconquer a position of
strong and dynamic, though not uniform, cultural identity on the new
international stage, in an approach of ‘creative culture’ (OECD, 2009) that
is increasingly oriented towards the participation and involvement of the
local community and visitors in general (Frey, 2009; Richards and Wilson,
2006, 2007; Baldacci, 2006; Briednhann and Wickens, 2004; Beltramo,
2012).
In summary, innovation, combined with sustainability, can improve the
success of the wine tourism destinations, through:
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networking cultural and landscape resources, but also tourism and
sports activities, as well as the curiosity and individuality of the
area;
better information about the cultural heritage, food and wine in the
area;
the usability of cultural heritage;
the recovery of traditional manufacturing activities, that can create
employment opportunities (socio-cultural and economic
sustainability), particularly for young people, but also for the
participation of tourists in unique visiting experiences;
access to information through a dedicated portal, dissemination of
studies and research on heritage and cultural system.
Implications for Sustainability
This paper shows how the sustainability of a wine destination is affected
by three important dimensions: environmental, that is the sustainable use
of natural resources without damaging the planet (Purandare, 2009),
economic, that is the ability to maintain over time the wellbeing of a
society (Arrow et al., 2004), and socio-cultural sustainability, resulting in
the safeguarding and valorization of the cultural heritage, of the identity
and local resources (Unione Europea, 2013).
The Piedmontese case constitutes an example of a perfect marriage
between sustainability and the attractiveness of tourist destinations; in fact
it is often the economic, environmental and socio-cultural sustainability of
the destination that attracts national and foreign tourists. Also, thanks to
Slow Food, educational and taste courses have been activated and this has
allowed to assert a higher mature model of wine and food, to safeguard
typical products through the system of Presidia.
In order to improve this important characteristic of Piedmont, several
strategies should be developed:
- reduction of energy consumption through the use of machinery
with higher energy efficiency;
- development of accommodation, sport and cultural services;
- valorization of the TIPs (Territorial Intensive Products) that are
important elements of the tourist market and that can attract high
numbers of tourists to a particular destination (Asero and Patti,
2009);
- creation of regional wine paths of responsible tourism by
Piedmontese and international operators;
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-
strengthening of educational programs for bodies, schools and
tourist operators;
monitoring, promotion and support of initiatives of responsible and
social tourism;
creation of partnership among firms, bodies and non-profit
organizations;
insertion of principles and good practices of responsible and social
tourism in the curricula of university education;
analysis of food and wine packaging in order to respect
environmental,
functional,
design
and
communication
requirements;
This paper results in an analysis of wine tourism in Piedmont in the light
of sustainability; in particular, for the first time, this is studied from three
different views: environmental, economic and socio-cultural.
Major limits must be identified in the application of this 3-dimensional
model of wine destination sustainability only to an Italian destination
without any comparison with benchmark wine destinations at European
and international level.
This paper shows how responsible and sustainable wine tourism could
become a tool to valorize destinations and promote the increase of social
capital, emphasizing the territorial sense of belonging and attracting
tourists (Valls et al., 2014) in the same way.
Managerial Implications
By integrating the considerations on sustainability and innovation applied
to wine tourism destinations, it is possible to underline how the path of
success for these kinds of destinations goes through three important key
terms: cooperation, communication and innovation.
Tourist operators should concentrate their efforts on integrating the
product “wine” with gastronomy, a good accommodation offer, landscape
and culture. This could be possible only through cooperation among
different operators (i.e. with the creation of wine paths) and the
involvement of universities/secondary schools in specific educational
programs, important factors able to improve the image of the destination.
A multi-stakeholder partnership would be preferable where everyone has
specific roles and can make their contribution to the development of a
sustainable policy.
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Also strategies based on good communication could be very useful, but
they should be entrusted to experts and not improvised. These could be
possible through the use of the e-economy and in particular of the
information and communication technologies. Furthermore, the
importance of sustainability for a destination should be taught through
specific programs and may be stimulated by means of incentives. It is
important to sensitise the tourist market to the possible advantages of
sustainable tourism in order to create a virtuous circle of progressive
improvement involving tour operators and tourists. In the same way, there
is a need for harmonization between plans for tourism development and
sustainability.
Finally, innovation is the rule: innovation should be developed in order to
respect the environment and people. It can involve wine bottles, i.e. the
use of microchips to identify a bottle of wine – RFID (Radio Frequency
Identification) or packaging (ecological packaging), processes
(production/distribution), transportation and communication (i.e. QR Code
on the label of the different bottles).
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
STRATEGIES TO INCREASE THE PROFITABILITY
OF ITALIAN WINE PRODUCERS
FABRIZIO BAVA,
MELCHIORRE GROMIS DI TRANA
AND SHAB HUNDAL
Introduction1
The wine sector is a typical example of an industry that has been able to
seize the opportunities arising from the globalization of markets. Countries
like France and Italy have seen the success of their firms as a direct
outcome of strategies characterised by the expansion and
internationalisation of sales, maintaining a strong territorial approach to
production.
The globalisation process has increased the intensity and the frequency of
international transactions; as a result of the increased importance, the
market has been divided into two worlds: ‘the new’ and ‘the old’
(Cesaretti et al. 2006). This market division is not merely a façade but
demonstrates its tangibility through the nature of the products as well as
strategies followed by firms with respect to production and distribution. A
different competitive environment exists in each wine producing country.
An important characteristic of the commercial wine market is the
significance of distribution power and price leadership. Furthermore, the
high quality wine market comprises many small and medium-sized
companies.
1
We gratefully acknowledge the CRT Foundation, the Goria Foundation and the
University of Turin for their support in producing this quantitative piece of
research. We also extend our gratitude to wine producers for their cooperation in
preparing our database.
278
Chapter Thirteen
As suggested by several researchers (for example, Crescimanno and Galati
2014, Galati et al. 2014), the globalization process and increase in
international competition has led to an overall geographical
reconfiguration of world production and a geographical change in the
demand for wine.
Issues relating to the role of wine in national economies have always been
at the forefront, both within European institutions and in major wine
producing countries. An important development in this respect was the
announcement of a formal reform document by the European Commission
in 2006, followed by agreed legal documents in 2008. The relevance of
these regulatory provisions cannot be overstated as the EU (28 countries)
produces about 60% of the world’s wine (OIV 2012) and this can be
expected to increase in the future.
According to the International Organization of Vine and Wine, Italy is the
second largest wine producer in the World with 40,060 mhl of production
(OIV 2012) out of an overall world wine production of 258,200 mhl. In
2012, the surface area planted with vines was 764 mha, behind only Spain
and France. Italy is number one in terms of export volume and second in
terms of export value. It should be noted that Italy exports wine to the tune
of approximately 5 billion euros a year. In the last few years, the export
growth of wines ‘produced in Italy’ has been the highest after South
African and US wine brands. Today in Italy over three hundred DOC
(Denominazioni di Origine Controllata) and DOCG (Denominazioni di
Origine Controllata e Garantita) wines are produced and this classification
increases to over five hundred when IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica)
wines are factored in.
Italy’s wineries enjoy a distinctive competitive advantage when it comes
to the production and sale of high quality wines. Italian brands are wellknown and very popular with international consumers. In recent years, the
market has been celebrating Italy’s rich heritage of “indigenous” grapes.
Indeed, there are grapes (for example, Nero d’Avola, Fiano, Sagrantino
and Teroldego) that offer a variety of modern enotria to consumers all over
the world. As a result, a rapidly increasing number of wine-makers focus
on “traditional” varieties to distinguish themselves in a market dominated
by “international” varieties (for example, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and
Chardonnay). The success of strategies based on the use of traditional
varieties is linked to the maturity of the markets in the countries of
destination. For example, in the Asian area, consumers mostly appreciate
international varieties (Wine Intelligence, 2013).
Strategies to Increase Profitability of the Italian Wine Producers
279
These elements produce direct positive effects on sector trends. The
employment rate in this sector was stable (-0.5%) in 2013, and was + 2.7%
in 2008-2012, in contrast with the beverage sector (-5.2%) as well as
global manufacturing (-6%) in the same period (Mediobanca 2014).
The above data suggests potentialities of the wine sector that can
contribute to appraising the Italian economy. In particular, this study
focuses firstly on the national market and secondly on Piedmont wine
companies in order to identify what determines a firm’s profitability.
Piedmont plays a central role in Italian wine production with an export
value amounting to 969 million euros in 2013. Piedmont is the second
most important wine exporting area in Italy after Veneto whose exports
were valued at more than 1.5 billion euros in 2013.
In Piedmont, the highest quality product is Barolo, 70% of which is
exported. This type of wine is produced from Nebbiolo grapes, which is
not easily grown in other countries. Barolo, aka “the king of wines” or
“the wine of the kings”, is hard to produce outside the “Langhe”. The fact
that such a rare quality of grape is found in this region gives it a strategic
position in world trade.
Considering the importance of the wine sector in global and European
economies, our aim is to provide useful elements to help wine producers to
expand their businesses and to (re)direct their strategies. To do so, in the
following sections, we analyse the variables that influence a firm’s
performance. The findings of this study are supported by the literature. We
expect the study to help in policy making for wine production, which, in
turn, may be helpful to increase employment and the production of wealth.
Profitability in the Wine Sector
The primary purpose of a business is to create and maintain enterprise
wealth (Conner 1991). Businesses produce wealth not only for owners, but
for the communities in which they are established. Elements of company
structure and governance have been studied extensively in order to identify
factors that affect performance (Mazzi 2011). Amato and Amato (2004)
indicate that the performance of wineries depends on a close relationship
between market structure and the strategies adopted. Advantages are
produced only when performance indicators are superior to those of
competitors (Amadieu & Viviani 2010). Performance variables fall into
two main categories: accounting and the market. The main accounting
280
Chapter Thirteen
profitability ratios are: return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE),
return on investment (ROI) and return on sales (ROS). Schiefer and
Hartmann (2008) used these measures in the settings of agriculture.
Similarly, Amadieu & Viviani (2010) and Hirsh & Gschwandtner (2013)
applied these measures to the wine production sector. Other economic
variables often used to measure operating performance are Value added
(VA), Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) and Earnings before
interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) (Fisher &
Schornberg 2007).
Scholars argue in favour of EBITDA as an objective indicator of economic
performance in terms of the internal resources required to run wineries
(Simon-Elorz et al. 2014). Researchers, such as Amadieu & Viviani
(2010) and Sellers-Rubio (2010), have opted for EBITDA for this reason.
On the other hand, Dorsey & Boland (2009) and Declerck & Viviani
(2012) see EBIT as a better performance measure. Market performance is
generally estimated with Tobin’s Q Ratio i.e. the ratio of the firm’s market
value to the replacement cost of its assets. However, this measure of firm
performance is not available for SMEs, as the capital raised by such firms
is not traded in capital markets.
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce variables able to influence the
profitability of Italian wineries. They were identified by a review of the
literature and by empirical analysis. These variables, once acknowledged
as leading contributory factors, can be significantly applied to create
concrete corporate strategies. In our analysis, we have used ROI to assess
the firm’s profitability. ROI is the ratio of EBIT to total assets. The assets
used in the current analysis are fully operative due to the type and size of
Italian wine producers. The sample analysed in the current study mainly
consists of small companies. However, some of the sample firms are
cooperatives, which are not geared to high revenues. Due to this, ROE is
not an appropriate measure of performance. Similarly, EBIT and EBITDA
have their own limitations as both measures are influenced by the size of
firms.
Table 1 highlights empirical results based on the models applied in the
current study.
The R2 values are low but adequate considering the nature of the
dependent variable. In fact, many elements can affect a profitability
indicator.
Strategies to Increase Profitability of the Italian Wine Producers
Table 1 – Model information.
R2
2
Italy
.26
Piedmont3
.30
N
187
45
281
YEAR
2013
2013
As shown in Figure 1, EBIT is the difference between revenues and costs.
Revenues are the value of the firm on the market. They show the wine sold
in internal and external markets. Revenues are influenced by many factors,
for instance, product quality and price. They may be influenced by a firm’s
reputation and the importance of their brands. Sales revenue can also be
influenced markedly by a firm’s export vocation, which allows a company
to extend its sales outside national borders and to meet the demand for
wine in foreign countries. This tendency is based on the market
environment. If the internal market is sufficiently large and
stable/growing, and can absorb its entire production, a company does not
need to adopt internationalisation strategies. But, when the market is
highly competitive and there is a negative trend in the economic situation
(whether real or potential), companies need to increase their orientation to
internationalisation. For the wine industry, this process generally involves
only the physical export of wine, because production cannot be relocated
to other counties. Another important element able to influence the impact
of a company on the market is the experience it gains over the years.
2
The national sample consists of the 187 largest Italian wineries by turnover. The
model is ROI = α + βSIZE + βINV + βTYPE + βOWN + βEXP + ε. Data were
collected from 2013 Financial Statements and analysed using SPSS (21).
3
The regional sample consists of the 45 largest wineries for turnover in Piedmont.
The model is ROI = α + βEXint + βSIZE + βGROUP + βTYPE +βEXP + ε. Data
were collected from 2013 Financial Statements and analysed using SPSS (21). This
research was published by Bava F. & Gromis di Trana M., in AA.VV. (2015)
“Food and heritage – Sostenibilità economico-aziendale e valorizzazione del
territorio”, Giappichelli Editore, Torino.
282
Chapter Thirteen
Figure 1 – Factors influencing ROI.
Costs are planned on the basis of revenues from previous years and as
expected in the future. In particular, firms plan investments (amortisation)
and human resources in order to respond to the market. At the same time,
the type of company (corporation or cooperative) influences its objectives.
For instance, a corporation may aim to maximize the outcome for
shareholders, while a cooperative may be more geared to create benefits
for affiliates. This produces many different evaluations based on the cost
structure firms are exposed to.
As a difference between revenues and costs, EBIT is the value that shows
the result of the day-to-day activities of the company. It is positive when
revenues are higher than costs, meaning that the company’s core business
is generating wealth. Whereas, when costs are higher than revenues, EBIT
is a negative value, meaning that the company is consuming wealth.
ROI is the ratio between EBIT and total assets, where total assets are the
sum of tangible and intangible investments, financial and commercial
receivables and other liquid values. EBIT and total assets are both
influenced by firm size and profitability drive. Again, it is possible (since
EBIT is the difference between revenues and costs) that ROI may be
higher in small companies due to the lower value of assets.
Strategies to Increase Profitability of the Italian Wine Producers
283
Determining Factors in a Firm’s Profitability
This section analyses the main variables in our research. In particular we
consider:
1. export tendency
2. firm size and business group affiliation
3. ownership
4. type of company
5. experience
Many researchers have focussed on export performance. This concept of
performance does not have a unanimously accepted definition (Maurel
2009). For instance, it can be defined as “a composite outcome of a firm’s
international sales, which includes three dimensions: export sales, export
profitability and export growth” (Shoham 1998). This definition identifies
three main dimensions indicating the degree of success of the export
activity.
Measures of export performance include export intensity, as the
percentage of sales sold internationally (Tookey 1964), perceived
profitability (Bilkey 1982) and continuous export activity (Brooks &
Rosson 1982).
Other definitions include elements such as export effectiveness, export
efficiency and continuous engagement in exporting (Aaby & Slater 1989,
Madsen 1987, Shosham 1991).
In particular, to evaluate export sales, export intensity (exports against
total sales), export sales in euros and market share may be analysed for the
most important product/market combination. According to Aaby and
Slater (1989), export performance is influenced by the environment and
strategy, which in turn is influenced by other elements such as the firm’s
characteristics and skills. Zou and Stan (1998) classified variables in two
main classes, controllable and uncontrollable. Controllable internal
determining factors include the attitude of management, its perception and
marketing strategy; uncontrollable determining factors can be divided into
internal features i.e. a firm’s characteristics and the skills of management,
and external features, i.e. industry characteristics, and foreign/domestic
market features. Researchers also highlight how variables representing
environmental, organizational and managerial dimensions influence
marketing strategy, which in turn, influences export performance
(Katsikeas et al. 2000). Nonetheless, as can be seen, Shoham’s definition
284
Chapter Thirteen
is not addressed to the dimension of firms (large or small/medium-sized).
Focusing only on SMEs, Maruel (2009) divided determining factors into
internal, external and strategy-related. Empirical analyses indicate a clear
linkage (in the French wine industry) between export performance and
other variables such as business partnership, innovation and size.
Because the Italian wine industry mainly comprises SMEs, the focus is on
identifying determining factors that are more relevant to export-oriented
SMEs. We define export as all sales in a foreign country through direct
exports by a firm and sales via export agents. Export intensity is the ratio
of export sales to total sales.
The results of our study show that export intensity is statistically relevant
and positively associated. In other words, ROI increases with the
percentage of export sales4.
International analysis (De Blasi et al. 2007) has found a general reduction
in consumption accompanied by an increase in the level of quality
demanded by consumers. Wine is less and less consumed with meals;
nonetheless, it is increasingly considered a product able to meet hedonistic
needs.
Over the past years, the price of exported wine has increased. In 1995, the
export value was about 700 million euros (Istat 2007) against the 5 billion
euros recorded in 2013 (Mediobanca 2014).
De Blasi et al. (2007) show that exports in the wine sector are highly
concentrated geographically. 80% of exports are to 8 countries (US,
Germany, UK, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, Denmark and Austria). This
suggests the need to implement strategies to expand sales in diverse
markets. Furthermore, evidence suggests that when production increases,
the export value also increases, showing that supply has not matched
demand. Moreover, most national production consists in table wine, which
sometimes trades as cask wine. Italian producers should aim to increase
quality and increase their exports.
The size of firms is an important variable when it comes to explaining
performance. Large companies can successfully follow market strategies
based on brand recognition and economies of scale (Amato & Amato
2004). This means that an increase in size enables a firm to make
4
B = 5.67** (2.43) where (**p< 0.05)
Strategies to Increase Profitability of the Italian Wine Producers
285
organizational improvements, generating profits from economies of scale,
and benefits from investments. Simon-Elorz et al. (2014) have described
this phenomenon as a size efficiency factor acting as an entry barrier for
new wineries. It also acts as a determining factor for competitiveness.
Nevertheless, the importance of SMEs in the regional wine context
suggests the weakness of these barriers and their inability to determine the
performance of the wine exports of SMEs. In Italy, SMEs play a central
role in the economy. Indeed, SMEs represent 99.99% of Italian companies
(3.7 million in 2012), also dominating in the number of employees (80%
of the total). Nevertheless, SMEs produced only 68% of total added value
(SBA 2013). This view, associated with other elements such as land
owned by many different people and a strong family approach, reflects the
structure of Piedmont wine firms (generally SMEs).
Size indicators can be collected from Financial Statements which also
reflect the market values of SMEs (Biddle et al. 1997). In particular, with
respect to the financial information on SMEs, observable data include
turnover and the number of full-time employees. Other studies take into
account total assets (Dorsey & Boland 2009, Loderer et al. 2010, Hirsh et
al. 2014, Goddarrd et al. 2005, Gschwandtner 2012). Due to the specific
configuration of wineries, our research, considers size variables via
turnover and the number of full-time employees as proxies. The two
variables are related; nonetheless, a divergence of trends could mean
different strategies in managing human resources or may be an indication
of inaccurate forecasts for future market trends. A previous study (Cordero
di Montezemolo 2005) of firms with a turnover of more than 2 million
euros, shows that businesses with a turnover in the 7 - 13 million euros
range perform the worst. This is because these firms are subject to high
fixed and variable costs, as a consequence of the complex investments
required to carry on the business. These companies are not able to cover
costs with revenues, evidence that lead Montezemolo (2005) to posit a
polarization into two main sizes: large or small.
Nevertheless, some studies state that the larger a company is the better its
export performance (Miesenbock 1988, Moini 1995, Wagner 1995). The
above phenomenon produces effects on corporate planning and strategies
determining the future growth of these firms. Based on recent market
trends and potential opportunities in this sector, it can be argued that the
wine industry and market have structurally changed, and as a consequence
three main categories of wine firms have been formed (Vrontis et al.
2011):
286
Chapter Thirteen
1. global enterprises, active in all segments of the beverage industry;
2. large national wine enterprises: focused on wine production and
operating in an international context;
3. SMEs, characterized by niche strategies and low capital.
Miller (1986) indicates there are two main configurations of strategy and
corporate structure: a “simple structure” associated with marketing
differentiation, or an organic structure associated with “new product
differentiation”. Other authors (Chaganti et al. 1989) have found that a
strategy based on the reduction of costs is only useful for SMEs in an
environment characterised by price wars. A strategy based on product
quality and image seems to be the most profitable orientation.
Looking at Italian wine firms, the Italian market is evolving in a situation
of stable or declining domestic consumption; this forces Italian companies
to be more territorial and follow a conservative strategy focused on
specific grape growing sites and the wine marketing practices of the region
(Remaud & Couderc 2006).
In our models, as stated by Oliveira and Fortunato (2006), we should bear
in mind that the age of a company and its size could be correlated with
survival and growth.
Our research shows a strong positive correlation between ROI and
company turnover5, and a negative correlation between the number of
employees and ROI6, which, however, is not statistically significant. For
the above outcome, we restricted the scope of investments. For instance,
we took into account amounts in the Financial Statement for land and
buildings. We found a negative association between log values of L&B
and ROI7. This was entirely contrary to our expectations. Different
explanations could be given for this negative association. In particular, the
value helps to increase asset value, reducing ROI.
These results cannot be generalised because they do not take into account
some peculiarities of the wine sector. In order to evaluate the importance
5
For the national sample the Log(TRN) has a coefficient of 4.15*** (5.02) (***p<
0.01). The same evidence is confirmed in the regional context where the
Log(TRN) has a coefficient of 4.18** (1.98) (**p < 0.05).
6
B = 0.05 (0.03) (p > 0.1)
7
For the national sample the Log(L&B) has a coefficient of -1.42** (-3.52) (**p <
0.05).
Strategies to Increase Profitability of the Italian Wine Producers
287
of a firm’s size we need to consider the high degree of segmentation
characterising demand. High quality wine is generally produced by small
companies and low quality wine generally by large companies, who can
reap the benefits of economies of scale. This is in line with Pomarici et al.
(2008) who found how economies of scale and the reduction of costs
provide a competitive advantage to large companies producing low quality
wine, whereas small companies should aim at high quality segments
guaranteeing a higher mark up.
Some studies analyse the effect on company performance of association
within groups. Results show that group-affiliated firms benefit through
sharing intangibles and financial resources (Ghang & Hong 2000).
Business groups are responses to market failures and high transaction
costs. Khanna and Rivkin (2000) produced evidence that business groups
affect the broad pattern of economic performance, in particular
profitability in emerging markets. Ma et al. (2006) analysed publicly listed
Chinese companies and found that the interaction of business group
affiliations and state ownership has a significant positive effect on
performance. On the other hand, Chacar and Vissa (2005) found an
inverse correlation between profitability and affiliation to a group. In
particular, they observed that affiliated firms performed more persistently
poorly than firms that are not affiliated. This result seems to be confirmed
by our observation; however, in our models, this result is not statistically
significant (**p > 0.1 and t = 0.07).
We also analysed the impact of ownership structure on performance.
Many studies highlight the relationship between ownership concentration
and company performance. Ownership concentration (ensuring better
monitoring) was theoretically expected to lead to better performance
(Jensen and Meckling 1976). Others, as Stulz (1988) predicted a concave
relationship. Some studies, including Morck et al. (1988), McConnell and
Servaes (1990), Hermalin and Weisbach (1991), Holderness et al. (1999)
have found that low levels of managerial ownership increase company
value but at higher levels of managerial ownership, the value decreases.
We introduced an independent variable, the number of shareholders, and
found a negative association between these elements,8 meaning that in the
Italian wine sector strong ownership concentration helps to produce higher
profitability.
8
The OWN has a coefficient of -.339** (-2.42) (**p < 0.05).
288
Chapter Thirteen
In Italy, wineries are mainly divided into two institutional categories,
corporations and cooperatives. Cooperatives are owned by their members,
who generally own the vineyards. They deliver grapes to the cooperative
for the production of wine and subsequent marketing activities. In Italy, as
in many major wine producing countries, winemaking cooperatives are
responsible for a significant proportion of total wine production.
Cooperatives produce more than half of French wine (Robinson 2006).
This type of structure may provide advantages to members, for instance,
by allowing them to pool resources and share costs; they may also obtain
financial advantages including EU subsidies. In other words, like
corporations, they buy, sell and produce goods and services. However,
unlike corporations, cooperatives exist to serve their members. In addition
to their ordinary activities, they are active in community development, the
education of members and government lobbying. Staatz (1987) states that
farmers, faced with the unsatisfactory performance of investor-owned
firms (IOFs), may form cooperatives to compete with investor-owned
firms. This generates benefits not only for members but for farm
stockholders and other farmers in the area.
Considering profitability, the IOF’s main aim is often to maximize ROI at
a given risk level (Copelend & Weston 1983), unlike cooperatives which
are generally modelled on a zero-profit objective (Halmberger & Hoos
1962). A cooperative’s members mainly expect to receive benefits from
services provided and do not focus only on the rate of return on their
investments.
Contrary to theoretical expectations, Parliament et al. (1990) found that
agricultural cooperatives perform as well as or better than investor-owned
firms operating in the same industries in terms of profitability (ROE) and
leverage. The lack of significant differences between these two models
suggests similar goals. Furthermore, through analysing US agriculture
cooperatives, Lerman (1991) identified a significant relationship between
performance and two other variables: size and industry effects.
In line with the literature, our models fixed a dummy variable dividing
sampled firms into Cooperatives (0) and IOFs (1). We identified a positive
relationship between this variable and profitability9. IOFs are more
focused on achieving higher profitability rates than cooperatives.
9
For the nationwide sample the TYPE dummy variable has a coefficient of
3.87*** (3.52) (***p< 0.01). The same evidence seems to be confirmed in the
Strategies to Increase Profitability of the Italian Wine Producers
289
The age of the firms in a specific sector suggests two aspects (Simon-Elorz
et al. 2014), The first relating to survival rates in the sector and the second
to the indirect evidence of experience this shows (Declerck & Viviani
2012, Duquesnois et al. 2010). For this reason, a positive relationship is
expected between the age variable and economic performance. Some
research has found an association between age and other factors such as
organic growth (Davidsson 2005) and export capacity (Maurel 2009). In
particular, the positive effect on export performance can be explained by a
mature management and the attitude to international transactions and
international business partnerships. Galan (2010) observed a positive
effect on export performance, whereas, Loderer et al. (2010) obtained
negative effects.
We define experience as the age of the firm, i.e. the number of years since
it was established. In our nationwide analysis, as in other studies, this
variable was considered continuous (Loderer et al. 2010, Simon-Elorz et
al. 2014, Hirsh et al. 2014); in other research authors established ranges
(Jordan et al. 2007). In the regional study, 5 classes were used, the first
from 1 year to 5, the second 6 to 10, the third 11 to 20, the fourth 21 to
30 and the fifth over 30. This is because we do not consider the
relationship between knowledge and the advantages a company can obtain
during these periods as linear. Evidence suggests a negative relation
between experience and ROI10.
Conclusions
Our evidence suggests two main strategic directions in order to increase
company profitability. The first is geared to increasing sales with foreign
countries. The second aims to increase the dimensions of the firm. To
contrast the increasing success of new global companies, generally large
corporations whose competitive advantage is based on economies of
scale, small Italian firms should implement strategies geared to shifting
their production to high quality alone (DOC and DOCG) to the detriment
of price. The challenge must be accepted in terms of quality, not volume.
Large Italian companies should enhance the value of their brands with
advertising campaigns and diversify distribution channels. As is wellregional context where the coefficient of 1.40 (1.75) is positive. In our second
model this variable is not statistically significant.
10
For the national sample EXP has a coefficient of -.31 (-1.38) (p > 0.1). The same
evidence seems not to be confirmed in the regional context where the coefficient
of .5 (.51) (p > 0.1) is positive. Neither are statistically significant.
290
Chapter Thirteen
known, Italian wine is synonymous with quality in the world and for this
reason it is important that Italian wineries use this reputational element to
increase their sales. In order to evaluate the relevance of this result, factors
of bias should be evaluated, such as those that reduce export intensity. In
particular, the result is influenced by internal taxation rules designed to
help agricultural firms. Special VAT relief is provided for farms which can
increase their mark up. With particular regard to small companies this
incentive helps profitability in the internal market, but in some cases
discourages internationalisation.
The sample comprises mostly small and micro businesses, in many cases
unable to invest adequate resources (money and skills) in exports. Due to
the limited output of hectolitres, these companies can sell total production
in the domestic market. Larger companies are generally better known
through investments in their brands. This allows companies to increase the
price of the same type of wine, for instance Barolo, compared to small
wineries. As is well-known, the market price of specific type of wines can
be strongly affected by branding. For instance, the same bottle of Barolo
(comparable in quality and age) can cost 10 times more than lesser known
brands. Small companies can set up affiliations or join networks in order
to reduce costs with economies of scale and improve their market power.
Future studies may be carried out to evaluate whether exporting companies
should seek to increase volumes or prices (aiming at higher quality). An
interesting result is the negative correlation between the number of fulltime employees and profitability. Two different reasons may be in play,
the first related to the management of human resources, and the second
inaccurate sales forecasts. Future studies may investigate this relationship
in detail. In relation to the type of companies, cooperatives are generally
older than IOFs and older companies are less export-oriented.
Nevertheless, there is no significant relationship between the age of a
company and profitability. In the future, we will extend our analysis over a
longer (2011-2014) period using panel data, a model that has been used in
a few other articles on these topics. Future research may also verify if
these findings apply to other Italian regions as well.
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
MANAGING THE GLOBAL COMPLEXITY
IN A TRIPLE/QUADRUPLE HELIX CONTEXT
MARIA ROSARIA DELLA PERUTA
AND MANLIO DEL GIUDICE
Keywords – Internet of Things; Knowledge Sharing; triple helix model;
diffusion of innovation, smart cities.
1. Introduction
The complexity or structural uncertainty dominating socio-economic life
are conditions that underpin the drive to verify the relationships between
organizations, institutions and stakeholders in a dynamic model where the
overlapping roles of universities, firms and the government are both built
and codified (Maggioni & Del Giudice, 2011; Del Giudice et al. 2013; Del
Giudice et al. 2012; Del Giudice & Straub, 2011; Nicotra et al. 2014;
Straub & Del Giudice 2012). This is the essence of the Triple Helix model
(place Leydesdorff figure here) (Etzkowitz & Leydesdorff, 2000;
Etzkowitz, 2008; Etzkowitz et al., 1998; Etzkowitz & Leydesdorff, 1995;
Leydesdorff & Etzkowitz, 1998; Leydesdorff, & Etzkowitz, 1996;
Etzkowitz, 2003; Etzkowitz, 1998).
In the progress of Information Society to Knowledge Society, superseding,
therefore, the model of technological rationality, we are approaching the
idea of a new way of thinking and acting, a permanent reflection on the
relationship between the production of knowledge and a new social
dimension whereby access to a series of more complex sources is
exploited to generate innovation (Rullani, 2012; Rullani et al. 2012;
Rullani, 2013).
Managing the Global Complexity in a Triple/Quadruple Helix Context
297
Innovation is no longer the direct product of intuitive creativity, but the
reason for its “technological” being is linked to a whole range of collective
interventions, thoughts and actions (Park, 2014). “While institutions and
inter-institutional arrangements can be stimulated by local or national
governments, markets and sciences operate at the global level”
(Leydesdorff, 2012, page 26). The alignment between the productive
system of knowledge and innovation and the system of inter-institutional
relationships seems, therefore, to be one of the possible options to adopt in
order to open up to new development hypotheses.
The economic system however is not always suited to the new competitive
rules required by market change and the new challenges imposed by
technological evolution (Betz, 2010; Carayannis et al. 2014); it has
recently become more or less clear that technological progress, one of the
basic motors for market globalization, has determined a shift in
government functions towards functionally broader territorial
environments. In this sense, the correct assumption seems that national
systems are taking on a new and different kind of importance within this
new configuration of global competitivity. It is now taken for granted that
competitivity no longer takes place between single firms, within a single
sector, but between countries and, therefore, at a smaller scale, even
between territorial systems. The territorial development is no longer seen
as external to firms, but has become the force driving or impeding the
evolution of productive structures. Space is, therefore, not only a factor
determining the physical location of a firm, but a strategic variable in the
innovation process and in the cross-fertilization of knowledge within the
processes of innovation. Technological evolution, and the consequent
increase in firm competitiveness, is not perceived as a process that is
essentially endogenous to the firm and its structures, but rather as the
specific expression of a given environment or a specific territorial
organization. The environment, therefore, no longer has the function of a
hub for industrial activity and the physical resources used by these
industries, but becomes an critical location for the production and
circulation of a whole series of immaterial factors and, in particular,
knowledge, which spawns processes of generation and the spreading of
innovation. The firm, in this context, is not an entity with its own total
genetic autonomy, dependant on internal factors, but is conceived by its
environment, which, in turn, becomes both entrepreneur and incubator of
innovation (Colapinto & Porlezza, 2012; Maldonado et al. 2009; Pfeffer
2011; Altmann & Ebersberger, 2012; Carayannis et al. 2014).
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“What is at stake is to find and negotiate the appropriate level of a
spontaneous Triple Helix, the level at which a positive negotiation and
cooperation become possible between the administration [...], the research
and higher education institutions [...] and the business community in its
diversity. This local Triple Helix is the active core of a “cluster”. [...]
These ‘clusters’ are not predetermined territories: they are established
around a local Triple Helix [...] [that] can have partners outside its
geographical location. [...] It is different from Italian ‘industrial districts’
often anchored in a long history.” (Rieu, 2014, page 18).
The purely local dimension of certain industrial phenomena, including, for
example, the system of small firms, whether they are industrial districts in
the classical mould or progressively more evolved forms, or whether they
are satellites connected to large industries, appears basically weak in this
context, especially when manufacturing cycles organized in this way aim
to preserve their autonomy and complete strategic and operational
independence. In this sense, firm networks are configured as closed islands
within a territory, composed of various elements with their own
evolutionally strategies, often in complete dissonance with each other. If,
on the one hand, there is the necessity to exploit and promote the wealth of
knowledge rooted in the territory, on the other hand, there is the growing
conviction that groups of local firms must consolidate into wider spheres
where they can find the driving forces and energy that are not part of their
own genetic baggage. Whilst creating the premises for the growth and
innovation of the indigenous characteristics of an economic system, the
new development models in territorial systems focus on flexibility, widespread innovation, development of skills, strengthening of the quality of
services, and awareness of the market, in order to be repositioned within
the Information Society.
The purpose of this chapter is to outline the main traits of Triple Helix
approach, illustrating the elements that compose its architecture to identify
the autonomous physiology of smart cities. The set of research centres,
organizations, local government and citizens must rely on firms to find
their pathway, which will be all the more functional when the “fabric” is
seen to be open to the exchange of knowledge (in an open innovation
logic). In this way, as the authors clearly state, a smart city is not only a
laboratory of more or less innovative technologies, but it also focuses on
the capitalization of knowledge, in terms of its cognitive, economic, social
and cultural aspects, and exploits the involvement of citizens as search
tools for sustainable solutions. Finally, it focuses on the contribution of the
active population to introduce Quadruple Helix approach.
Managing the Global Complexity in a Triple/Quadruple Helix Context
299
2. The Triple Helix Model and Smart Cities:
Towards Local/Global Competitive Dimensions
Information, however it is communicated, is the central element of reality,
and this reality is made known to individuals precisely through the
medium of information, that is, the form that is attributed to it (Rullani,
2012; Rullani et al. 2012; Rullani, 2013). Since all of this can constitute
information, the use of modern technologies, notably computers or more
precisely information elaborators, allows information to be seen,
transmitted, elaborated and stored, enabling a more effective relationship
with reality than in the past. The new consideration that man has of
himself, his peers and the world, linked to the current fantastic speed of
data transmission, is also crucial to his penchant for finding a space and
becoming interested in problems where the solution had once been more
or less the exclusive domain of firms, organizations, institutions, etc. In
reality, by spreading information, the various parts of the model are able to
become truly inter-dependant, and its influence over the economic
development of specific territorial areas can be verified. In operational
terms, it is precisely through information systems that a specific territorial
context, a certain political and institutional environment and a clearlydefined technological framework can all be kept together, seen as the
essential conditions for the development of ad hoc solutions. Think about
smart cities (Deakin and Leydesdorff, 2014; Deakin 2011).
The concept of smart cities refers to the fact that our urban areas, in recent
decades ensconced under the various types of networks (optical fibre,
3G/4G for mobile phones, WiFi, sensors), can be programmed and made
to be more efficient from many perspectives: traffic, logistics, waste
disposal, public services, etc. To introduce smart cities, it is necessary to
refer to the strategy of intelligent specialization, focusing on a regional
approach, which is connected to a city’s capacity of carving a role for
itself within modern economic systems and contribute towards producing
value. In this scheme, cities are considered as poles where networks,
involving at least three important dynamics take form. These are the
intellectual capital of universities, the industrial system creating wealth
and participative democratic governance that constitutes the rule of law.
The effect of this interaction, in turn, is to generate spaces where the
information base for the communication systems is implemented in order
to realise the concept of intelligent cities, exploit the opportunities of
future internet development, enhance intellectual capital and create wealth
(Deakin and Leydesdorff, 2011; 2014; Lombardi et al., 2011).
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The representation of the advanced Triple Helix model is not based on the
idea of an ecosystem as something that is naturally aligned to the
economic system, but as a system of social phenomena that are used to
sustain the intelligent networking of smart cities and the cultural attributes
and environmental capacities that permeate through the cities and which,
in turn, support them (Yang et al. 2012). The strong global knowledge
within cities can be used as a means to “offer” a “wealth of creative
power” that communities must cultivate in function of the future internet
development that cities engage in to become intelligent. “That cities
engage in to become intelligent” means that the type of eco-sustainable
reconstruction that future internet development make possible are not only
needed by urban community ecology, such as city quarters, but as the vital
sign of a knowledge economy, allowing the regional innovation system to
be updated and qualified. The problem of cities cannot be separated from
that of the rational use of the territory, human settlement, the relationships
between people and between people and institutions, and this applies when
elaborating a technique of civil co-existence both in terms of real, organic
life, within the gradual bureaucratization of social relationships, and also
as a virtual and mechanical representation, in the imminent necessity of a
concrete development concerning citizens and technology. Smart cities
must be visible, tangible, defined within a territory, but with the wide
powers conferred by technology, in terms of coordination, efficiency,
respect of human personality, culture and art. In other words, the smart
city liberates the social environment, stimulating its power of doing, that
is, involving it in a dynamic and informed project, as the reference point of
daily political and economic action. For the Triple Helix model, this is the
ideal field for attempting to make the territorial plan work, coherently in
all its parts, with its administrative and urban problems, with the problem
of democratic co-existence, coordinated at the centre and articulated at the
base, respecting a regionalism that is rooted in spontaneous social reasons
that must be taken into account.
However, the Triple Helix model is a good starting point for reflecting
upon how useful it is, or even crucial, to code a complex event within a
relatively simple framework; specifically, the model concerns an
integrated system of services supporting innovation and the creation of an
elective context for the developments occurring within the relationships
between universities and research centres, the entrepreneurship system and
local government (Leydesdorff & Park, 2014). By setting the Triple Helix
model into a formal process, the relative development levers can be
introduced in a logically coherent way, together with the way these levers
interact and the resulting outcome (see Table 1). In particular, the support
Managing the Global Complexity in a Triple/Quadruple Helix Context
301
process, by which we mean the sequence of operations that can encourage
collaboration between research laboratory, market enterprise and
government bodies, does not always have a similar configuration. Every
part of the process must be flexible and reflect the state of progress of the
product, the researcher/entrepreneur group composition and the type of
know-how or technological sector involved. Moreover, the institutional
logics on which the premises for growth are based emerge, in turn, from
the need to draw on the great wealth of knowledge accumulated by the
stakeholders, as members of an increasingly complex system where roles
and responsibilities are often interchangeable and exchanged.
In this context, the dynamics of the Triple Helix model can be reorganised,
to introduce the vocation and culture typical of management into an
industrial and academic environment. As a result, actions concerning
intellectual protection become a reality in the field of practical
experimentation. Civil society attains a higher level, a place of thriving
dynamic interaction between human capital, markets, universities, firms
and research centres. This reciprocal collaboration does not compromise
the autonomy of strategic behaviour, competitive capacity and the driving
force of institutions. On the contrary, the exchange of information
promotes and stimulates greater integration and progress in development
driven from below, following a bottom-up logic, or democratisation logic,
which, compared to a top-down approach, is not difficult to apply and
adapt at a local level.
Table 1: Institutional orders in the evolution of Triple Helix model
Stages of
development
Major Triple Helix
activities
Favourable institutional logics
Stage 1
Realising the importance
of entering a reciprocal
relationship between
university, industry and
government
● Shared beliefs on knowledge as
a key to economic growth (Logics
of economic growth in the field of
government and industry)
Taking the role of the
other
● Market oriented organisational
cultures (Logics of market at the
state level)
● Process oriented management
culture in technology innovation
(Logics of knowledge
management in the fields
of industry and academia)
Realisation of
the needs
Stage 2
intraorganisational
transformation
Chapter Fourteen
302
Stage 3
interactions
between
organisations in
the three
sectors
Stage 4
Growing and innovating
through cooperation with
others
Generating hybrid
organisation
Feedback loops between
policy-makers
and participants
Institutionalisat
ion of the
Triple Helix
model
Institutionalised norms of
“entrepreneurial
university”, “knowledgebased formation
and growth”, and
“innovation state”
(Etzkowitz 2008).
● Effective protection for
intellectual
property rights and market
participants
(Logics of intellectual property at
the field of industry)
● Civil society (Logics of civil
society at
the state level)
● Competitive market
environment (logics of
competition in the field of
university)
● Democratic policymaking
process
(Logics of democracy in the field
of government)
Fonte: Cai, 2013
3. What about the Quadruple Helix Model
and the Concept of “user”?
The Quadruple Helix model is difficult to interpret, not only because of
the considerable problems in actually defining the concept. Indeed, these
problems fully confirm how critical it is to evaluate this model
independently from the Triple Helix. The Quadruple Helix “... in this
context, means to add to the above stated helices a ‘fourth helix’ that we
identify twofold, as the ‘media-based and culture-based public’ as well as
the ‘civil society’ ” (Carayannis and Campbell 2009, pp 206-207;
Carayannis and Campbell 2011; Lindberg et al. 2012; Colapinto and
Porlezza 2012). Despite the many different perspectives and directions
from which the Quadruple Helix model can be observed, and all the
shapes that innovation can take in each case, in its basic form, the
Quadruple Helix model is clearly anchored within the same working
mechanism at the root of the Triple Helix model. Both models share an
observation point centred on reciprocally influential relationships between
the various categories of actors belonging to the innovative system, and
Managing the Global Complexity in a Triple/Quadruple Helix Context
303
both retrace the methodological and ideological reference points defined in
various works.
The Quadruple Helix, however, involves exploiting new dynamics and
exploring new trajectories to reach a greater understanding of the
“emerging” relationships between organisations that are now the condition
on which innovation is based. Currently, it would not be possible to
govern structural complexity and uncertainty that permeates through the
entire economic and social environment and has its origins in the growing
power of science and industry, without the learning processes put in
motion by firms (Carayannis et al. 2006; Carayannis et al. 2011). Indeed,
since the firm is constrained by the principle of competitive performance,
it inevitably learns how to manage the relationships through which are
channelled the increasingly varied and intense division of labour involved
in the production and use of knowledge. In situations of rapid change and
strong diversification that are typical of modern industrial capitalism, if
firms can identify what the “public” wants in terms of achieving the
desired effects from an innovative process, they can address the
restrictions imposed by cognitive boundaries.
“Another candidate as fourth helix is the user that is very close to
Yawson’s candidate, the ‘public’ ” (Arnkil e al. 2010, p. 14). This means
that, for the firm to survive and have a continuing presence within the
environment in which it operates, it must establish a “useful” relationship
between itself and the “user”; in other words, this means addressing the
problems that the firm can satisfy through its productive capacity in a
more direct and timely fashion. Incidentally, in this perspective, the firm
remains tied to the user indefinitely and tendentially infinitively. This link
forms the basis for firm survival and development: however, in a different
perspective, the link established through the narrow channel of “giving an
asset or benefit that meets a given need” would only be valid for the length
of time in which there is that precise need and at the moment in time when
the precise asset or benefit can satisfy that need in the best possible way.
In addition, the problem that the user wants to solve must not be underrated, and neither should the fact that the desired solution is not always
defined precisely in all its points. This fact implies, on the one hand, that
the firm has significant social and moral responsibility and that proposing
suitable solutions to real problems is also in its own interest (Gouvea et al.
2013; Lindberg et al. 2014; Carayannis et al. 2012). On the other hand, it
ensures that the firm interacts with users, becoming the interlocutor that
understands their real needs better than any other. Firms can use this
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knowledge, and its particular repercussions on the logics of economic
production, to decide whether they are able to solve the user’s advanced
problems as well as or better that what is currently available on the market
(Carayannis and Campbell 2011; Lindberg et al. 2012; Colapinto and
Porlezza 2012).
The firm will interact over any given period with potential users who are
not in the least inclined to establish a long-standing relationship, since they
are not demanding a fixed problem-product, in part because of the neverending changes to their psychological, sociological and economic
conditions, and in part because of the evolution in technology. Therefore,
ever-new solutions are offered to satisfy the user’s problems. It follows
that, in both international and inter-industry markets, firm-user
relationships are particularly sensitive to change and, being particularly
precarious, they must be continuously monitored and looked after. By
being aware of these changes, firms can adapt strategies, propose new
solutions and, therefore, follow the process in which the user’s needs
evolve. Indeed, the firm’s ability to respond promptly and exploit the
potential offered by change is at the root of such development. At this
point, however, it makes sense to examine in greater detail both firms and
users within their own respective environments. It should be first
highlighted that the perspective of development is not an issue reserved
exclusively for firms.
In order to handle the evolution of science and technology, and, in this
way, make sure that the environment of which the firms are part remains
competitive, this environment must be compatible with the users’
requirements, which, in this instance are their cultural, political,
bureaucratic and indeed other needs (Betz, 2010; Carayannis et al. 2014).
By accepting this structure, it is clear that a firm must be capable of
implementing a system with the right strengths to pursue its development.
In reality, in order to satisfy its economic performance, a firm must be able
to implement and coordinate a very large and increasingly growing
number of complex relationships. These, in turn, must not simply set
(contractual) limits to the choices made by the firm, but must be capable of
intervening strategically over the firm’s objectives. The types of actors
that constitute the innovative system are less and less unknown quantities
(with no distinguishing features or personality) with whom the firm forms
ad hoc relationships, and are, instead, entities with their own, often very
diverse, interests that have an acknowledged meaning and stability and a
given value. In particular, the Quadruple Helix model is not restricted to
introducing new innovation vectors - the new innovation-enabler
Managing the Global Complexity in a Triple/Quadruple Helix Context
305
organisations (Liljemark, 2004) or proposing them as new barycentres –
that are leaving the periphery of the system and on the verge of becoming
its centre (Andersson et al. 2009).
The Quadruple Helix model can also intuitively recognise that, in order to
conquest less vulnerable competitive positions, there is the need for a type
of innovation that involves searching for new ways in which the recipients
of the innovation can be used and so put the new knowledge to more
effective use (Colapinto & Porlezza, 2012; Maldonado et al. 2009; Pfeffer
2011; Altmann & Ebersberger, 2012). The concept of user, on the other
hand, has not been defined in any detailed way in management literature.
In order to introduce the phenomena covered in the analysis, the user must
be framed in connection with all the diverse forms of social life, and,
specifically, within the context of reference used to interpret the types and
problems of innovative systems. It is now more difficult to define the
cultural meaning of “user”, especially because of the growing interdependency of the environments in which social life is present (Lindberg
et al. 2012). Just think about the arousal of consciences, when users are
seen as active citizens. This reaffirms the centrality of the individual, who
becomes the point of reference for a political and economic daily action
and is able to “discover” social needs that have not yet been addressed.
When, on top of this, the user is involved in public services, because of the
different “expectations of the role”, either as a mere consumer of services
(consumerist) or as an active supporter of decision-making models
(collectivist), it becomes easy to compare different life practices
(Lombardi et al., 2014; Leydesdorff et al. 2014; Trequattrini et al., 2015).
The great transformations that define firms are not simply the result of
scientific and technological development, but also - and possibly to a
greater measure - the outcome of the new political issues emerging in
society, which are expressed through requests for democracy, social
justice, liberty, participation in power and respect, in other words, the
personality of the individual, as a member of society (MacGregor et al.
2010). For users to become empowered as individuals, public or
community, organisations must again be compared in a logic of
“development” mediated by precise, concrete research into the “social
facts” that are able to guide decision-making processes.
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4. Conclusions
Global complexity induced by innovation in various environments has
generated changes and transitional events that are leading towards a totally
new phase in the evolution of society. In this phase, science, democracy,
market, firms and information are refashioned under brand new
assumptions. It is also very clear that their functional separation, with
clearly defined boundaries, has not brought about reciprocal isolation. The
various environments, while different in terms of origin and specialisation,
are permeable and result in continuous cross-contamination and reciprocal
grafting. In particular, the conditions for creating knowledge cannot be
disconnected from the radically new technical environment where the
knowledge is consumed and diffused in a pervasive and accelerated
manner, as an effect of the information technology revolution. Inundated
by electronic change, information systems have undergone a formidable
process of power, differentiation and acceleration, reaching the limits of
real time.
The problem that emerges relates to the need for symmetry in the
production and distribution of knowledge, where, in the light of stronger
long-term competitiveness, it is necessary to ensure that these processes
will continue over time. There is, therefore, a shift in focus, towards
methods for gathering, distributing and communicating knowledge that
switch from a purely utilitarian treatment of knowledge to promoting new
“spaces”, from market to territory and to collective knowledge. These
spaces are constantly stimulated to “do” innovation, an innovation of the
type that does not depend on a linear relationship of cause and effect, but
is the result of complex (and mainly unpredictable) interactions between
technical, economic and social factors. To establish true, virtuous
competitive conditions, the excessive judicial protectionism of the results
of intellectual activity that restricted and concentrated the offer of
innovation in the hands of a few, has given way to liberty of action (think
about free revealing) that gathers and layers knowledge, and then make it
available automatically on the market.
On the other hand, by developing a capacity to find sources of innovation
in social environments, in gatherings, in communities of practice, through
one’s own intellectual interests, social attitude and professional
relationships, then, inevitably, new experimental situations will open up
(think of living lab), inverting the vector of authority, shifting from
linearity to creative chaos, from hierarchical governance from above to
collective self-governing from below. In this way, local and global, and
Managing the Global Complexity in a Triple/Quadruple Helix Context
307
private and public, environments will exist together within the new and
apparently more harmonious equilibrium of innovation, where no one part
excludes the other, especially when the contents of the one are the
meaning of the other.
It would seem, therefore, that in the field of innovation, there are no fixed
points. Probably it is partially for this reason, that innovation is studied
through systemic models, a type of structure that is less dependent on all
its parts functioning perfectly. Innovation analysis must co-exist with these
structures; due to the inter-connections between the various parts, the
model become more reliable than its single parts, because it activates
social and institutional relationships capable of governing markets and
producing value in the most coherent and advanced forms.
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EDITORS
Dr Demetris Vrontis is a Professor of Marketing and Executive Dean at
the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. Dr Vrontis is the Editor-in-Chief of the
EuroMed Journal of Business and the President of the EuroMed Research
Business Institute. His prime research interests are in strategic marketing
planning, branding, marketing communications and wine marketing; areas
in which he has widely published in over 100 refereed journals and 21
books and gave numerous presentations in conferences around the globe.
Professor Vrontis is a Fellow Member and certified Chartered Marketer of
the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Chartered Business and
Chartered Marketing Consultant certified by the Chartered Association of
Business Administrators. Professor Vrontis also serves as a consultant and
member of Board of Directors to a number of international companies.
Academic journal publications, include, among other publications in the
following journals: the Human Resource Management, the Journal of
Business Research, the Journal of Marketing Management, the
International Marketing Review, the European Business Review, the
Journal of General Management, the Journal of Marketing
Communications, the Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, the
Cross Cultural Management: An Inter. Journal, the Marketing
Intelligence and Planning, the Journal of Product and Brand
Management, the Journal of Brand Management, the Marketing Review,
the International Journal of Business Studies, the Global Business and
Economics Review, the Journal of Textile Institute, the British Food
Journal, the World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and
Sustainable Development and many more.
Further information regarding Professor Vrontis can be found at
https://unic.academia.edu/DemetrisVrontis
Stefano Bresciani received his Ph.D. in Business Administration in 2003
and worked as a Research Scholar in the ESCP-EAP, London and in the
California State Polytechnic of Pomona, Los Angeles. He is currently
visiting professor at Open University of Lisbon, at University of Nicosia,
and Associate Professor in Business Management at the School of
314
Editors
Management and Economics, University of Torino, where he teaches
Innovation management. He undertakes research integrated with the
Department of Management of the University of Torino; his main areas of
research include innovation management, international business and open
innovation. He is further the Country Director for Italy of the EuroMed
Research Business Institute (EMRBI) and Chairman of the EMRBI
Research Group on "Multinational enterprises and corporate governance".
He has published in many refereed journal articles, contributed chapters
and books and presented papers to conferences on a global basis. He is
also the Editor-in-Chief of Management, of Global Perspective on
Engineering Management (GPEM), and of British Journal of Management,
Economics & Trade.
Matteo Rossi is an Assistant Professor of Corporate Finance at the
University of Sannio, Italy. He earned a PhD in Corporate Governance and
his prime research interests are corporate finance, financing innovation,
wine marketing and innovation systems. In all of these areas, he has
published, contributed chapters to books, edited books and presented
papers to national and international conferences. He is the Vice President
for International Relations of the EuroMed Research Business Institute
(EMRBI). He’s Section Editor for Finance and Financial Markets of
Global Business and Economics Review, he is Regional Editor Europe of
the International Journal of Bonds and Derivatives, he is Associate Editor
of the International Journal of Managerial and of the Financial
Accounting, and he is Associate Editor of the International Journal of
Globalisation and Small Business. In 2014, he won the Highly
Commended Paper Award of the International Journal of Organizational
Analysis (Emerald) for the paper ‘Mergers and acquisitions in the hightech
industry: a literature review’ and in 2012, he won the Outstanding Paper
Award of the International Journal of Organizational Analysis (Emerald)
for the paper ‘Italian wine firms: strategic branding and wine
performance’.
Further information regarding dr. Rossi
https://unisannio.academia.edu/MatteoRossi
can
be
found
at
CONTRIBUTORS
Giovanni Ossola is Professor in Business Administration at the University
of Turin, Italy. He teaches Business Administration (Bachelor Degree) and
Bank Accounting (Masters Degree). His research interests are in financial
analysis and airport management infrastructures. He is a Member of
AIDEA (Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale).
Guido Giovando is Assistant Professor in Business Administration at the
University of Turin, Italy. He teaches Financial Accounting and Cost
Accounting (Bachelor Degree) and Financial Statements (Masters
Degree). His research interests are in financial analysis and airport
management infrastructures. He is an Associate Fellow of the EuroMed
Academy of Business.
Chiara Crovini is a Ph.D. Student in Business and Management at the
University of Turin, Italy. Her main research interests are in Corporate
Governance, Internal Auditing, Statutory Audit and airport management
infrastructures.
Elisa Giacosa is Assistant Professor in Business Administration at the
University of Turin, Italy. Her research interests are in crisis management,
fashion firms, family businesses, and financial analysis. She teaches
Financial Accounting and Net Economy (Undergraduate course) and
International Accounting Standards (Graduate course). She’s Associate
Fellow of the EuroMed Academy of Business.
Francesca Culasso is Associate Professor in Business Administration at
the University of Turin, Italy. Her research interests are in management
accounting, cost management, strategic management, governance, risk
management, and the organisational and behavioural aspects of
accounting. She teaches Management Accounting (Italian and English
Undergraduate courses) and Business Organization and Process
Management (Graduate courses). She is Associate Fellow of the EuroMed
Academy of Business.
316
Contributors
Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro is Professor at the Instituto
Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) (previous at University of Aveiro).
Her current research interests include tourism marketing, consumer-brand
relationships issues. She is a track chair: Global Marketing Conference
(GAMMA) and EuroMed Academy of Business. She has participated in
several research projects.
Alberto Ferraris received a Ph.D. in Business and Management,
University of Turin (Italy) in 2015. He is currently a Post Doc Researcher
at the Department of Management, University of Turin. He is also a
Associate Member (AM-EMAB) of the EuroMed Research Business
Institute, Member of the John H. Dunning Centre for International
Business, Henley Business School, and Research Fellow of the Laboratory
for International and Regional Economics, Graduate School of Economics
and Management, Ural Federal University.
Marco Longo is a Junior Auditor at Ernst & Young. He previously
worked as CPA trainee at Pirola Pennuto Zei & Associates, a tax
consultancy firm based in Italy, focusing on international tax planning. He
also served as consultant in Real Estate M&A transactions around Europe.
Marco Warsitzka received his Bachelor degree in Business Psychology
at Leuphana University in Lüneburg, Germany. He is currently completing
his Master´s degree programme. He also works for a HR-Consultancy as a
consultant and Management-Trainer and he is a member of the German
Psychologists Association.
Luisa Cagica Carvalho is Assistant Professor at Department of Social
Sciences and Management, Open University of Portugal. She is researcher
at the Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics
(CEFAGE), University of Évora (Portugal). She received her PhD in
Management from the University of Évora (Portugal).
Bill Williams originally trained as a chemist at the National University of
Ireland and went on to work in education in Ireland, UK, Eritrea, Kenya,
Mozambique and Portugal and to run international distance courses for the
International Labour Organization in various African countries.
He is a lecturer at ESTBarreiro, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, and a
member of the Center for Management Studies at Instituto Superior
Técnico (CEG-IST, Universidade de Lisboa). He is co-editor of the book
Managing Globalization
317
Engineering Practice in a Global Context: Understanding the Technical
and the Social and is an associate editor of the European Journal of
Engineering Education.
Laura Broccardo received a Ph.D. in Business Administration in 2010.
She is currently an Assistant Professor in Business Administration at the
Department of Management, University of Turin, Italy. She was Erasmus
Visiting Professor in some foreign universities. She teaches Management
Accounting and Business Organization courses (Italian and English
undergraduate) and the Business Organization and Process Management
course (graduate). Her research interests are in management accounting,
cost management, strategic management, governance, and the
organisational and behavioural aspects of accounting, on which several
international publications were focused.
Ali Coskun received a Ph.D. in Accounting & Information Management
in 2009. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Business Administration
at the Department of Management, University of Bogazici, Turkey. He
teaches Principle of Accounting, Managerial Accounting and Planning and
Control. His research interests are in management accounting, cost
management, strategic management, governance, and the organisational
and behavioural aspects of accounting, on which several international
publications were focused.
Rosa Lombardi is Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Link
Campus University in Rome (Italy). She is eligible as Associate Professor
under Italian National Qualification. She is adjunct professor of
International Accounting in the Department of Economics and Law at the
University of Cassino and Southern Lazio in Italy. She had her Ph.D. in
Business Administration at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio
(Department of Economics and Law) and she has been post doc research
fellow in Business Administration. She serves in the editorial board and
guest editor of many international peer reviewed academic journals. Her
research interests cover the following topics: corporate governance,
knowledge economy, intellectual capital and management of intangible
assets, decision making, international accounting, evaluation firm and
business network. She has more than 60 publications (books, articles,
proceedings, etc.) regarding corporate governance, knowledge economy,
business network and management of intangible assets.
318
Contributors
John Dumay is Associate Professor in Accounting at Macquarie
University, Sydney. Originally a consultant he joined academia after
completing his PhD in 2008. His thesis won the European Fund for
Management Development and Emerald Journals Outstanding Doctoral
Research Award in the Knowledge Management category. John’s research
specialties are intellectual capital, non-financial reporting, research
methods and academic writing. John has published over 30 peer reviewed
articles in leading academic journals. He is also the Australasian Editor of
the, Journal of Intellectual Capital, Associate Editor of the Electronic
Journal of Knowledge Management and on the Editorial Board of Advice
of the highly regarded Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal
and several other accounting journals.
Alessandra Lardo is a Ph.D. student in Business Administration in the
Department of Economics and Law at the University of Cassino and
Southern Lazio (Italy). Her research interests cover the following topics:
business management, knowledge management, intellectual capital and
intellectual property rights, intellectual asset management, corporate social
responsibility, international accounting, social media, evaluation of firms
and business network. She is author of articles and chapters of books
regarding intellectual capital, evaluation and disclosure of intangible
assets.
Raffaele Trequattrini is a Professor of Business Administration in the
Department of Economics and Law at the University of Cassino and
Southern Lazio in Italy, where he was appointed vice-chancellor. He had
his Ph.D. in Business Administration at the University of Urbino. He was
associate professor of Business Administration. His research interests
cover the following topics: corporate governance, accounting, corporate
disclosure, decision making, crisis of firms, business network and
management of intangible assets. He has published refereed articles across
a wide range of topics. Infact, he is author of articles and monographs
regarding accounting, corporate governance, knowledge economy,
business network and management of intangible assets.
Giuseppe Grossi is PhD and Professor in Public Management and
Accounting at the School of Health and Society, Kristianstad University
(Sweden) and Research Professor at Kozminski University (Poland).
Grossi’s research focuses on public governance, whole-of-government
accounting and performance budgeting. He is the co-chair of the
Accounting and Accountability Special Interest Group, IRSPM.
Managing Globalization
319
Alessia Pisoni is Assistant Professor of Innovation Management at the
University of Insubria, where she also coordinates the research unit of
CrESIT Research Centre. Nowadays, her research interests are in the area
of entrepreneurship and innovation, with specific focus on startup
ecosystems. She is author of several contributions in the fields of
international business, international entrepreneurship and corporate
governance.
Alberto Onetti is Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at the
University of Insubria, where he is responsible for the Master Degree in
Global Entrepreneurship Economics and Management and Head of the
Research Centre CrESIT. In 2009, he has been appointed as Chairman of
the Californian Mind the Bridge Foundation. He has committed himself
along the years to research in the entrepreneurship and corporate strategy,
authoring and co-authoring insofar over 100 publications.
Stéphane Magne is doctor in marketing and Assistant Professor at the
University of Paris 1 – Panthéon - Sorbonne. His research activities focus
on the relationship between design, marketing and innovation, on the
perception of products aesthetics (visual, olfactory, tactile dimensions, ...)
and on the consumers individual sensitivity to design.
Simona Alfiero got her Ph.D. in Business Administration at the
University of Turin (Italy) and currently is Assistant Professor at the
Department of Management. Her research activities and publications are
focused mainly on financial and managerial accounting, corporate social
responsibility and financial disclousure.
Francesco Venuti got his Ph.D. in Business and Management at the
University of Turin (Italy) and currently is a research fellow at the
Department of Management. His research activities and publications are
focused mainly on financial and managerial accounting, banking and
insurance accounting and reporting.
Maria V. Ciasullo is an Associate Professor of Management at the
Department of Business Studies and Researches - Management &
Information Technology, University of Salerno (Italy, EU). She holds a
Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Naples ‘Federico
II’ (Italy) and, at the University of Salerno, is also a Member of the
Faculty of the Ph.D. in ‘Marketing & Communication’, a Member of the
320
Contributors
Scientific and Technical Committee of the Post-graduate Course in ‘Wine
Business’, a Member of Scientific and Technical Committee of the Second
Level Master on ‘General Management in Public Administration’. She has
been since 1995 coordinator and member of several research projects. She
is an expert in strategic business management for both private and public
sector, focusing particularly on Strategic Management, Strategic
Marketing, Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics. She
successfully combines theoretical and empirical research. She has
published in national and international refereed scientific journals and
books.
Giuseppe Festa is an Assistant Professor of Management at the
Department of Business Studies and Researches (Management and
Information Technology) of the University of Salerno (Italy). He holds a
Ph.D. in Economics and Management of Public Organizations from the
University of Salerno, where is also a Member of the Faculty of the
Second Level Master’s Degree in ‘Management of Healthcare
Organizations - Daosan’. He is also the Scientific Director of the Postgraduate Course in ‘Wine Business’ (University of Salerno) and Chairman
of the Euromed Research Interest Committee on Wine Business. His
research interests focus mainly on Wine Business, Information Systems
and Healthcare Management, also developing consulting and training
activities for various organizations (public and private).
Antonio Festa is a Contract Researcher at the Department of Computer
Science of the University of Salerno (Italy). Graduated cum laude in
Political Sciences, his main research interests concern the different profiles
of the social responsibility related to port logistics (above all when
‘smart’).
Stefano Bresciani received his Ph.D. in Business Administration in 2003
and worked as a Research Scholar in the ESCP-EAP, London and in the
California State Polytechnic of Pomona, Los Angeles. He is currently
visiting professor at Open University of Lisbon, at University of Nicosia,
and Associate Professor in Business Management at the School of
Management and Economics, University of Torino, where he teaches
Innovation management. He undertakes research integrated with the
Department of Management of the University of Torino; his main areas of
research include innovation management, international business and open
innovation. He is further the Country Director for Italy of the EuroMed
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Research Business Institute (EMRBI) and Chairman of the EMRBI
Research Group on "Multinational enterprises and corporate governance".
He has published in many refereed journal articles, contributed chapters
and books and presented papers to conferences on a global basis. He is
also the Editor-in-Chief of Management, of Global Perspective on
Engineering Management (GPEM), and of British Journal of Management,
Economics & Trade.
Federico Balbo, Lecturer of Business Management at the University of
Turin. He is currently serving as Associate at Spencer Stuart inside the
Financial Services Practice. Prior to joining Spencer Stuart, Federico
worked at EY collaborating on several projects in the automotive industry.
He holds a degree- magna cum laude- in Business Administration (2014)
from the University of Turin and he is completing his CPA trainee period.
His main research interests are in innovation management, family business
and corporate governance.
Angela Scilla is a Ph.D. in Business and Management - University of
Turin, Visiting Student and Visiting Researcher at the Faculty of Business,
University of Tasmania. She teaches Principles of Corporate Finance at
University of Turin and carries out research in value creation for the
territories, cultural heritage and tourism as a drivers for territorial
development.
Milena Viassone, ESCP Europe Ph.D., Paris; Ph.D in Business
Management-University of Cassino; Researcher in Business ManagementUniversity of Turin; Member of the EuroMed Group of Research and of
the Aidea (Italian Academy of Business Administration) Research Group
(GSA) on "Tourism". Member of the ESCP Europe Group of Research on
“International Development”.
Fabrizio Bava is Associate Professor in Auditing and Financial
Accounting at the University of Turin. Fabrizio’s major areas of research
are Corporate Governance, Financial Accounting and Auditing. Fabrizio is
dean in the master of “Auditing, Accounting and Control” at the
University of Turin. He is chartered accountant.
Melchiorre Gromis di Trana is working as a lecturer in Business
Administration and Financial Accounting at the University of Turin.
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Contributors
Melchior’s major areas of research are Corporate Governance and
Financial Accounting. Melchior has received a Ph.D. in Business and
Management. He is chartered accountant.
Shab Hundal is working as a senior lecturer Strategic Management at the
JAMK University of Applied Sciences, School of Business, Jyväskylä,
Finland. He is also a doctoral researcher at the Jyväskylä University
School of Business and Economics, Finalnd. Shab’s major area of research
are Corporate Governance, Financial Accounting and Financial
Management. Shab has received master degrees in Economics and
Financial Management from India and the UK, respectively. He is also
affiliated to Turku University (Finland), Karel de Grote University College
(Belgium), and Dalarna University (Sweden)”.
Manlio Del Giudice is an Associate Professor of Management at the
University of Rome “Link Campus”, where he serves as Associate Dean of
the Faculty of International Business Management. He is also Professor of
Management of Biotech Firms at the “Federico II” University of Naples.
He holds a PhD in Management from the University of Milano Bicocca
and he has taught in a number of universities worldwide, including
Grenoble Graduate School of Business, Twente University, and Jonkoping
University. Professor Del Giudice has more than 70 publications in
mainstream journals and relevant publishers, such as Springer, Palgrave
MacMillan and Elsevier; furthermore, he has active research collaboration
programs with more than 20 universities across the globe, including
affiliations with celebrated universities and research centres, from New
Zealand to United Arab Emirates. Professor Del Giudice serves on the
editorial boards of prestigious peer reviewed academic journals; at the
same time he has promoted and managed several academic spin-off green
biotechnology companies and technology transfer activities. His research
interests focus on knowledge management, cross-cultural management,
family business management, and entrepreneurship.
Maria Rosaria Della Peruta received her Ph.D. in Business
Administration from the University of Naples ‘Federico II’ and has
undertaken research activity at the London Business School (Department
of Business Administration). She has more than 30 publications with
mainstream journals and publishers and she has active collaborations and
affiliations with universities across the globe. She serves as the Associate
Editor of relevant journals like the Journal of the Knowledge Economy and
Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She is a Professor of
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Management at the Second University of Naples. Her interests focus on
knowledge management, cross-cultural management, family business
management and innovation management.