Papers by Barbara Francioni
Italian Journal of Marketing
This article provides a systematic review of the extensive and fragmented literature focused on D... more This article provides a systematic review of the extensive and fragmented literature focused on Digital Transformation (DT) and marketing by identifying the main themes and perspectives (i.e., employees, customers, and business processes) studied by previous research. By mapping the DT literature in the area of marketing, 117 articles, published between 2014 and 2020, have been identified. Through the adoption of a content analysis process, a multi-dimensional framework synthesizing the DT and marketing binomial has been provided. Results identify two thematical patterns: the macro-themes, related to the main digital technologies adopted within the marketing function, and the micro-themes, related to the effect/impact of these technologies on marketing processes and activities. Concerning the micro-themes, findings show how they have mainly studied from the customer and business processes’ perspectives, thus identifying an interesting research gap related to the analysis of the DT-m...
Since 1970s several authors (Benton, 1976 interdisciplinary approach. According to Brewer (1999) ... more Since 1970s several authors (Benton, 1976 interdisciplinary approach. According to Brewer (1999) the appropriate combination of knowledge from many different specialities means to shed new light on an actual probl Nissani (1997) 4 identified ten advantages of adopting interdisciplinarity knowledge and research, and one of the most important is that several intellectual, social, and practical problems need interdisciplinary approaches. Finally, during the last decade, the vast majority of call for papers, textbooks and research initiatives required or offered and interdisciplinary approach (Knights and Willmott, 1997) The International Journal of Economic Behavior is multidisciplinary collected in this issue contribute in enhancing the adoption of interdisciplinarity, especially providing stimuli for future research of economic behavior and management perspectives. The first paper by Amron Mahmud explores the ro developing economy (i.e. Indonesia), and particularly if SMEs' learning orientation, marketing orientation and innovation have an impact on corporate performance. Using a sample of 110 SMEs and adopting a structure equation relationship between learning orientation The second paper authored by Simplice A. Asongu presents theoretical justifications and empirical validity as to why, the conception and definition of the financial system by the informal financial sector from a macroeconomic perspective is anachronistic and antagonistic. In order to achieve this objective, the author presents recent findings on the weight of the Results reveal that the informal financial sector can only be marginalized at the cost of misunderstanding current burgeoning trends in mobile phone penetration, knowledge economy and poverty. The main objective of the third paper by Widuri investigate whether there is a relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility, Profitability and Firm Value. By using regression analysis, profitability and firm value. Results also reveal that Corporate Social Responsibility has no effect on firm value.
The principal aim of this study was to investigate how owner-managers practise internationalizati... more The principal aim of this study was to investigate how owner-managers practise internationalization in Italian small breweries from Pesaro-Urbino province. Results permit to identify four alternative approaches in which owner-managers understand and practice internationalization, which consequently generates diversity in the management of international activities. Results also revealed that in the majority of cases the decision to start exporting was unplanned: they relied mostly on contacts created through trade fairs or friends/relatives.
Case Studies in the Beer Sector, 2021
The main objective of this paper is to consider the role of Made in Italy in foreign markets, esp... more The main objective of this paper is to consider the role of Made in Italy in foreign markets, especially in the German one. The focus is on the Italian Sounding phenomenon, which is mainly affecting the Italian food sector. To deeply understand this phenomenon and its consequences, an online survey has been carried out in Germany. By analyzing results, the fact that consumers do not pay attention to the label while purchasing has been confirmed. In this way, the strategy of Italian Sounding damages both the perception of Made in Italy goods and the whole Italian economy. For those reasons, the Italian Sounding should be minimized by using specific marketing activities, until consumers understand the real quality of the authentic Made in Italy.. Classification-JEL: M3 Keywords: Italian Sounding; Made in Italy, Country of Origin, Germany
Journal of International Management, 2021
International Marketing and the Country of Origin Effect
Journal of Strategic Marketing, 2013
ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to examine the internationalization of Small and Medium-Siz... more ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to examine the internationalization of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the mechanical manufacturing sector. The focus of the paper is on the factors affecting both the strategic choices and the changes that occurred during the internationalization process, after the first foreign market entry. To accomplish this goal, a quantitative research has been performed through a survey on entrepreneurs and managers of 60 Italian SMEs. The questionnaires collected were used to perform a cluster analysis in order to identify various groups of companies exhibiting similar behaviors. This study provided a valuable contribution to the knowledge of SMEs internationalization in general and of the mechanical sector in particular, showing the importance of analyzing when a firm decides to change its markets or its entry mode, along a continuum of reactive versus proactive changes.
Journal of East-West Business, 2012
ABSTRACT This paper aims to contribute to the international business literature by discussing the... more ABSTRACT This paper aims to contribute to the international business literature by discussing the nature of nonlinear internationalization based on a case study of an Italian firm MVM Meccanica Valle Metauro S.r.l. that had activities in Central and Eastern Europe and other countries and identifying causes of nonlinearities. It shows that nonlinear internationalization may be caused by different internal and external factors and actors; that it can occur once or several times, that foreign market exit may be temporary (followed by re-entry) and permanent and that de-internationalization does not always mean a failure for the firm.
International Business Review, 2013
Internationalization processes have been very actively studied since the 1960s, but a large share... more Internationalization processes have been very actively studied since the 1960s, but a large share of international business literature still concentrates on two internationalization types: (1) gradual/step-by-step/Uppsala model type-starting relatively slowly, entering psychically closest markets, using simpler foreign entry modes first and increasing international involvement after learning from earlier operations (
The main objective of this paper is to consider the role of Made in Italy in foreign markets, esp... more The main objective of this paper is to consider the role of Made in Italy in foreign markets, especially in the German one. The focus is on the Italian Sounding phenomenon, which is mainly affecting the Italian food sector. To deeply understand this phenomenon and its consequences, an online survey has been carried out in Germany. By analyzing results, the fact that consumers do not pay attention to the label while purchasing has been confirmed. In this way, the strategy of Italian Sounding damages both the perception of Made in Italy goods and the whole Italian economy. For those reasons, the Italian Sounding should be minimized by using specific marketing activities, until consumers understand the real quality of the authentic Made in Italy.. Classification-JEL: M3 Keywords: Italian Sounding; Made in Italy, Country of Origin, Germany
International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, 2017
This study examines the influence of decision-makers' characteristics, such as biological sex... more This study examines the influence of decision-makers' characteristics, such as biological sex and stereotypical gender roles, on the international decision process within a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME), with particular attention to the strategic decision-making process (SDMP). We tested our hypotheses on a sample of 188 Italian SMEs using hierarchical multiple regression. The results reveal that women have a greater ability than men to involve the organisation members in making decisions, regardless of the degree of formalisation of the process and the level of decentralisation of the responsibilities within the company. Moreover, as regard stereotypical gender roles, only masculinity showed a relationship with the SDMP dimensions, especially with the levels of formalisation and hierarchical decentralisation of decisions. This paper provides a combination of analyses of biological sex, stereotypical gender roles and SDMP dimensions. It is also one of the few studies of this kind in the field of international strategy.
British Food Journal, 2020
PurposeThe paper aims at investigating whether and how the product designation of origin (PDO) la... more PurposeThe paper aims at investigating whether and how the product designation of origin (PDO) label influences consumers' acceptance, attributes' perception and purchase intention of PDO foods.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs an experimental lab study based on the affective test of acceptance methodology with a nine-point hedonic scale. Three PDO foods are compared with similar non-PDO samples concerning cheese, cured ham and olive oil categories.FindingsThe presence of PDO labels enhances the consumers' acceptance as well as their perception of sensory attributes. A critical role of the brand name as an enhancer of consumer acceptance also emerges, highlighting the relationship between brand-name and PDO label.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation is related to the lab study methodology, which employs a small number of participants and occurs far from a “normal” situation of consumption. The acceptance test, moreover, does not provide explana...
The objective of this paper is to identify the combination of factors that would make small and n... more The objective of this paper is to identify the combination of factors that would make small and nonprofessional sports clubs economically and financially viable, despite low revenues and a limited attractiveness to the general public. In this regard, an analysis has been conducted on a sample of 200 clay shooting clubs in Italy. Results show that the main factors that positively affect performance are those most directly related to the core practice, as well as facilities/services supporting practitioners. This research adds to the sport management literature in two ways. First, it provides an indepth analysis of the connection between infrastructure and organizational features of sports clubs. Second, this research highlights which facilities, services and initiatives can be adopted in order to increase financial and organizational performance of small sport clubs and, consequently, provide a higher attractiveness to practitioners.
The objectives of the paper are twofold: the first one is to identify the critical variables that... more The objectives of the paper are twofold: the first one is to identify the critical variables that influence the process of buying firearms according to the opinion of Italian hunters and retailers. The second objective is to try to identify hunters' groups with similar generic characteristics and similar behavior in purchasing a firearm for the purpose of understanding customers' behavior. In order to achieve the first objective we have interviewed 455 Italian hunters and 200 firearms retailers from May to September 2011. Results show that according to hunters the main factors influencing firearm purchases are manageability of the firearms and competence of the retailer; while according to retailers the key purchasing factors are price of the firearms and the image of the producer. The survey reveals that, in spite of these different perceptions, retailers know their customers' behavior and preferences fairly well. However, the study also suggests that firearms retailers under valuate the weight of the functional characteristics of the product and the hunters' competences and autonomy in decision-making during the purchasing process. In order to achieve the second objective of the study, we perform a segmentation through a cluster analysis and results reveal that there are six main hunter groups named the recommended, the conservative, the innovative, the informed, the stingy and the maniac. The Italian firearms producers could evaluate whether their current competitive strategy is exploiting these potential market spaces.
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Papers by Barbara Francioni