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The process of market globalization has led to a redefinition of business models in order to compete in domestic and international markets. In the current competitive scenario, the survival of companies is linked to their ability to reduce or contain the sum of both production and transaction costs. The aim of this paper is to identify the existence of similar organizational models of a sample of Sicilian firms active in the Ornamental Plants sector based on those transaction costs that they support in relation to the sales channel and the other human and firm characteristics. Using a clustering procedure, we identified four well-distinct organizational models whose formation is influenced not only by the physical and economic size of firms but also by the transaction costs experimented. A reconsideration of these models, both in cooperatives and in small firms managed by young entrepreneurs, is needed.

The paper analyses the impact of Mediterranean Sea warming on some species of small pelagic fish (pesce azzurro) in the Italian fishing industry. In particular, through a time series regression model, the research examines the productivity trend in physical terms of target species of small pelagic fish from 1950 to 2016, considering the Mediterranean Sea Surface Temperatures Anomalies as an indicator of sea warming, and the Western Mediterranean Oscillation index and the North Atlantic Oscillation index as proxies of climatic variability. The research results show an evident link between the reduction of fish availability and sea warming, with potential repercussions on the incomes of the employees in thefishing industry. Our findings provide interesting suggestions and implications on the theoretical, managerial, and political level, providing insights for new researches.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, it identifies distinct organizational models in a sample of small and medium enterprises operating in the Sicilian wine industry; and second, it identifies the key factors enabling a superior export success. Design/methodology/approach Internal resources were analyzed theoretically in order to achieve the aims of the study. Subsequently the empirical investigation was carried out administering a questionnaire to a sample of 102 wineries in Sicily, Italy. A cluster analysis was performed in order to group these firms into homogeneous categories. Findings The findings show that success in the international market is more common among wineries characterized by a larger physical and economic size, a longer experience in the international market, managed by entrepreneurs-owners who are highly educated and proficient in foreign language, and implement voluntary certifications. Research limitations/implications The results need to be interpreted within the context of the study’s research design; more specifically, the reader should take into account that the study focuses exclusively on one industry and on one region (wine in Sicily). Practical implications The findings offer a valid support for managers who could use this results to better focus their effort and choose the most appropriate strategy in order to improve their performance in foreign markets. Originality/value Very few empirical studies have been carried out on the impact that internal and in particular organizational resources have on the firms’ organizational models operating in the wine industry.

Over the past few years, public attention has focused on the quality and safety control, traceability, and environmental issues surrounding food products. Several mandatory public standards and private voluntary schemes worldwide have been developed to address these concerns. Using survey data, this paper analyses the key factors affecting the adoption of voluntary quality standards in the wine industry and the existence of a relationship between the adoption of voluntary quality standards and economic performance, measured in terms of labour productivity and marketing behaviour. The survey involved 89 cellars, of which 68 were non-certified and 21 had one or more food quality certifications. Using the data collected, an index based on Euclidean distances was constructed to compare economic performance between certified and non-certified firms. The findings provide evidence that internal motivations drive entrepreneurs to adopt voluntary standards and that wineries adopting voluntary standards exhibit better economic performance than non-certified wine firms. From a managerial viewpoint, these results suggest that although the adoption of voluntary quality certifications does not have a direct effect in terms of a labour productivity increase, it entails a business management improvement. For policymakers, the results suggest a need to develop policies and establish more stable financial assistance for the internationalisation of wine firms, thereby supporting them through this transition.

The paper is an original article that uses accounting frameworks to determine what creates a competitive advantage in a cooperative business model. In particular, it investigates the influence of tangible, intangible and financial resources on the business performance of cooperatives operating in the Sicilian wine industry, with the RBV of the firms as a theoretical background. Using a linear regression model, our results show that tangible and financial resources are a source of a sustained competitive advantage. This study fills the gap existing in the strategic management literature related to the role of resources, tangible and intangible, in the cooperative system, providing both theoretical and practical implications.

This study applies the hedonic pricing model to examine important objective attributes appearing on the label of Italian wines influencing average customer wine prices in Japan. Data on 829 red Italian wines sold in the Japanese market were collected through the wine searcher dataset, and the information included on the wine labels, useful for assisting in the selection and appreciation of wines, has been included. A log-linear model was esteemed and the proposed hedonic equation accounted for 43.5% of the variation in wine prices. The results indicate that international grape varieties, alcohol content and the year of production explain most of the price difference. On the other hand, the appellations of origin linked to specific Italian territories negatively affect the medium price of wine. The proposed model will provide useful information for export-oriented Italian wineries in order to establish effective marketing strategies.

This study offers a contribution to understanding the complexity of the international wine trade analysing the specialisation patterns of 14 among the most important wine world actors in the period 2007–2016, in order to verify if the patterns of comparative advantages for the trade of this countries have experienced significant changes. Using the Lafay index, as a comparative advantage measure, our results reveal deep changes in the global wine market exchange. Our result constitutes a base element for the future development of the competitive scenario and provides some both theoretical and practical implications. In the baseline projection, the maintenance of the competitive position is closely linked to the needs to know the specificities, the differences, the sizes and the economic opportunities for each of the countries target, in order to undertake targeted actions and effective strategies.