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The paper provides insights over the response of the Italian fashion companies to the pandemic between their willingness to help the country to face the emergency and their necessity to keep the business afloat. In an exploratory ethos and by relying on qualitative inductive research, the study investigates 11 fashion companies by also engaging in extensive secondary data collection at the industry-level. By reconciling several theoretical lenses (i.e., strategic management, grand challenges and organizational ecology) into a systemic conceptual framework, the paper uncovers the underlying dynamics of the reconversion process by also unpacking the relevant dimensions that were leveraged by the companies to respond to the pandemic. Through the concept of adaptive resilience, the findings highlight how the Italian fashion companies were able to cope with the pandemic, with the reconversion process being implemented at the crossroads between exploring opportunities of a new (albeit often temporary) business and the exploitation of existing key resources and capabilities

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has not been uniform across industries. In some, we have witnessed a remarkable degree of innovation which has seen the establishment of a vast array of business models. By contrast, in others innovation has been rather slack. These conflicting trends raise the questions of whether the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the demise of certain industries or hastened the emergence of others. By coupling the crisis management literature with organizational learning theory and by relying on 23 in-depth interviews, the chapter provides a taxonomy of the various types of innovation responses to the existing crisis and disruption. The taxonomy is instrumental to gain a better understanding of how companies across countries and industry sectors respond to disruption by innovating and the valuable lessons that can be drawn from this experience.

Global work arrangements tend to be particularly problematic for Virtual Enterprises, to the extent that there is a vast literature emphasising the challenges that these companies need to face in identifying, attracting, developing and retaining talent on a global scale. Drawing on the experience of Automattic, the paper outlines how the company has successfully addressed such challenges by implementing Global Talent Management in a very peculiar way. From the findings, it emerges that stemming from their experience there are some exemplary and valuable lessons for companies from all sectors on how to embrace Global Talent Management in a more creative way and the great benefits in terms of efficiency and effectiveness that can flow from doing so. Keywords: Global Talent Management, Virtual Enterprise, Distributed Company, Automattic

PurposeThis paper investigates how global talent management processes are adopted and implemented in a virtual organization to successfully address the challenges of global work arrangements and the sustainable human and social outcomes that can be achieved.Design/methodology/approachAdopting a single, exploratory and critical case study methodology, this paper analyzes a global distributed company, Automattic Inc., to provide in-depth and rich insights on successful business process management in the human resources (HR) domain.FindingsThe findings offer some exemplary and valuable lessons in sustainable human resource management for firms in all sectors on how to embrace global talent management in a more creative and sustainable way – and the benefits in terms of efficiency and effectiveness that can be derived – by identifying talent through auditions, recruiting by inspiring others to apply, developing talent by sharing the value of learning and retaining talent by having fun.Originality/valueThe study contributes a more rounded understanding of successful business process management in the HR domain. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is particularly relevant and timely for all organizations (traditional or virtual) venturing into successful global work arrangements.

PurposeThe objective of this research is to propose a framework which is apt to assess how a nation branding campaign could promote cultural identity by ultimately curbing political polarization.Design/methodology/approachBy relying on a multidisciplinary approach that blends theoretical constructs from different fields the methodology is based on a mixed-method approach whereby the qualitative data stemming from a set of interviews with key-informants is coupled by a survey of Colombian citizens in order to gain in-depth insights over the impact of nation branding on political polarization.FindingsFrom the findings, it emerges that a campaign based on nation branding and targeting domestic citizens could curb political polarization within Colombia, by also fostering cultural identity.Research limitations/implicationsThe study considers only Colombia. To fully assess the robustness of the framework it would be useful to extend the analysis to a broader range of countries and to a wider set of domestic issues.Practical implicationsThe research not only provides in-depth insights on how nation branding can be used effectively in order to curb political polarization but also practical guidance on how a nation branding campaign can be effectively designed. The findings are relevant to policy-makers that have the opportunity to implement informed and educated nation branding campaigns not just overseas, but also to strategically address important domestic issues by engaging the domestic stakeholders.Originality/valueWhile country branding has been extensively investigated within the context of international business, we have a relatively limited understanding of its domestic impact. In contrast to traditional country branding literature, this paper aims to theoretically advance our understanding of nation branding and its effect on political polarization, as well as gauging its impact on cultural identity.

Since the turn of the 21st century, the emergence of Chinese outbound investment has been one of the most prominent features of globalization. Its trajectory has been notable both for its speed and scale and for its global dispersion. Since the early 2000s, Chinese outbound investment has grown rapidly from a very low base that predominately involved South–South flows, expanding into the global North. The idiosyncratic nature of Chinese investment has generated diverse responses over time from the countries of the developed world. The policy dilemmas that Chinese investment creates for the latter economies is manifest in their fragmented reactions and in the degree of contestation around policy responses. In the light of the recent increasing backlash towards investment by Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) in much of the developed world, this article introduces a dynamic analytical framework that is able to assess the response to investment by Chinese MNCs in Europe, and examines the implications of that response for China and its corporations. By doing so, this article contributes to the debate on Chinese globalization and further elaborates on the so-called ‘China anxiety’ issue.

International talent management has become a critically important topic for scholarly discussion, in policy debates, and among the business community. Despite this, however, research into talent management tends to lack theoretical underpinnings, especially from an international, multidisciplinary, and comparative perspective. This Research Handbook fills this gap, bringing together a range of leading researchers, scholars, and thinkers to debate and advance the conceptualization and understanding of this multifaceted subject. With chapters covering key topics within multiple domains of management and organization studies, the Research Handbook of International Talent Management explores the topic in innovative entrepreneurial enterprises to international businesses. It also examines how talent management relates to sustainability and public management, providing in depth coverage of the field for an interdisciplinary approach to what is one of the grand contemporary challenges facing the global economy today. This Research Handbook will be a vital resource for students of human resources management, business studies and public management policy, as well as for researchers with an interest in talent management, international management, and entrepreneurship and innovation.

This paper explores the implementation of digital innovation strategy by luxury heritage firms through the analysis of dynamic capabilities and organisational ambidexterity. It specifically demonstrates how Swiss luxury heritage watch maker Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) has been successful in gradually transforming its traditional business model by successfully implementing a digital innovation strategy based on mass customization. The findings show that ambidexterity is crucial for luxury heritage firms to exploit their distinctive competence base – their unique capabilities, their unique skills, their know-how that allow them to produce authentic products – and to explore innovative digital strategies in order to take advantage of new opportunities.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide some illustrative evidence to understand the distinctive forms of governance implemented by a well-established family business group (FBG) and to highlight the relative importance given to the different dimensions of socio-emotional wealth (SEW) during the internationalization process. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on multi-level and longitudinal data, the research provides in-depth insights into how the affiliated firms are linked to the focal firm, how the founding family in a large FBG organizes the top leadership roles spanning multiple countries and whether the inter-organizational and inter-personal networks changes over time and which are the most important items representing the SEW dimensions. Findings From the findings, it emerges that family ownership, family leadership and the presence of trusted people as pivotal actors in the FBG’s internationalization process. Originality/value The originality of the research stems from its contribution because despite providing illustrative evidence based on a single case-study, the findings offer additional insights over the importance of and the instrumental role played by SEW preservation as a perspective to explain FBGs’ internationalization.

Global work arrangements tend to be particularly problematic for Virtual Enterprises, to the extent that there is a vast literature emphasising the challenges that these companies need to face in identifying, attracting, developing and retaining talent on a global scale. Drawing on the experience of Automattic, the paper outlines how the company has successfully addressed such challenges by implementing Global Talent Management in a very peculiar way. From the findings, it emerges that stemming from their experience there are some exemplary and valuable lessons for companies from all sectors on how to embrace Global Talent Management in a more creative way and the great benefits in terms of efficiency and effectiveness that can flow from doing so.

Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) from emerging economies has begun to increase significantly and has been growing at a faster pace than FDI from the developed world. This research seeks to assess the impact of Chinese acquisitions and their implications for the Italian firms in the luxury sector. By relying on two in-depth case-studies, this paper presents a cross-case analysis of four Chinese acquisitions in order to provide some in-depth insights into the post-acquisition integration strategies implemented by the Chinese investors in the luxury Made in Italy sector. The study contributes to our understanding of how emerging market firms implement post-acquisition integration strategies when acquiring firms from advanced economies. To this end, the benefits and challenges associated with the post-acquisition integrations strategies implemented by the Chinese investors were identified.

In this chapter, various aspects pertaining to the open operating system Android OS such as its history, architecture, features, and utility for business purposes will be introduced, following which the role of Android in enterprise management will be explained. The chapter will be concluded by a detailed report of the BYOD approach that uses Android for industrial control and automation. Since mobile devices have become progressively more powerful and accessible, mobile computing has greatly changed our daily lives. As one of the most popular mobile operating systems, Android provides the tools and API for Android developers to develop Android applications. Android is an open source operating system for mobile devices. Today its primary use is lodged in the mobile phone industry. During the recent past years, many projects have been created, with the objective to elevate Android to other platforms, such as sub-notebooks or embedded systems.

none 3 si Family Business Groups are a significant and long-standing phenomenon widespread around the world. Their governance mechanisms have previously been investigated at firm-level and country-level. However, little attention has been paid at cluster-level of analysis by considering the differences in national culture. Based on a sample of 117 publications, this article provides a systematic literature review on the FBGs’ governance mechanisms by taking a broad perspective in the selection process of the publications. There is evidence from the findings that supports the idea of variations of the governance mechanisms between different cultural clusters. Additionally, core aspects related to the resilience of these mechanisms within the cultural clusters are identified. Our research provides support to the argument that governance mechanisms across countries tend to be culturally embedded and cluster-dependant. open Della PIana Bice; Vecchi Alessandra; Jimenez Alfredo Della PIana Bice; Vecchi Alessandra; Jimenez Alfredo

Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) from emerging economies has begun to increase significantly and has been growing at a faster pace than FDI from the developed world. This research seeks to assess the impact of Chinese acquisitions and their implications for the Italian firms in the luxury sector. By relying on two in-depth case-studies, this paper presents a cross-case analysis of four Chinese acquisitions in order to provide some in-depth insights into the post-acquisition integration strategies implemented by the Chinese investors in the luxury Made in Italy sector. The study contributes to our understanding of how emerging market firms implement post-acquisition integration strategies when acquiring firms from advanced economies. To this end, the benefits and challenges associated with the post-acquisition integrations strategies implemented by the Chinese investors were identified. Keywords: OFDI, Chinese acquisitions, Post-acquisition strategy, Integration strategy, Made in Italy, luxury manufacturing sector

Online apparel shopping developed rapidly, and the study of online shopping behavior is always evolving accordingly. The importance of user behavior study for technology adoption and buying decision has long been established (Engel, Kollat and Blackwell, 1968; Davis, 1989; Griffin et al., 2005; Smit, Van and Voorveld, 2014; Kharitonov, 2014). The current quantitative research focused on the application of cognitive and affective involvement as antecedents to technology acceptance model (TAM) (Smith, Deitz, Royne, Hansen, and Grunhagen, 2011). The objective presented in this chapter has been to link TAM with buying decision process for a cross-cultural study of online user behavior. In recent years, the Chinese market is the fastest growing market. The top 10 countries, ranked by online retail sales (in billions of US dollars) worldwide 2015, are China ($562.66), US ($349.06), UK ($93.89), Japan ($79.33), Germany ($73.46), France ($42.62), South Korea ($36.76), Canada ($28.77), Russia ($20.30) and Brazil ($18.80) (eMarketer 2015). Furthermore, recent statistics by Forrester Research Inc, eMarketer, and The Centre for Retail Research predict that online retail revenue accounted for 5.9% of the total retail market worldwide in 2014, or $1.316 trillion. By 2018, that share will increase significantly to 8.8%. More and more Chinese e-commerce sites attracted attention globally, such as Ali Express, Taobao and Tmall. China and the US are by far the world’s leading ecommerce markets, together worth more than 55% of global online retail sales in 2014. China’s predicted growth over the next five years will widen the gap between the two countries, and China is expected to exceed $1 trillion in retail ecommerce sales by 2018, accounting for more than 40% of the worldwide total. The US is expected to maintain its position as the second-largest retail ecommerce market in 2018, totalling nearly $500 billion in sales, while it is predicted that the UK will account for about one-quarter of that figure, landing in a distant third place (eMarketer, 2015). According to Retail Week Reports, the UK Fashion Retail Sector was valued at over £46 billion in 2014. The direct value of the UK fashion industry to the UK economy was £26 billion in 2014; up from £21 billion in 2009, showing an increase of 22% in nominal terms (British Fashion Council, 2014; Oxford Economics, 2014). UK online fashion sales in 2014 were estimated over £7.5 billion (Retail Week Report, 2015). The market for online fashion continues to see robust growth for the following reasons: consumers becoming more accustomed to shopping online; increased participation in shopping via smartphones and tablets, which has helped to bolster sales for apparel shopping anytime and anywhere; and a combination of different channels available to consumers to shop for clothes. Retailers have to ensure that shopping is truly seamless and that they give customers a consistent shopping experience whatever channel they choose to use (Mintel, 2015; CIO, 2015).

By relying on the taxonomy introduced by Kotlar and De Massis (2013), the present study proposes to investigate the dynamics and the set of goals perceived by the family members strategic for the future growth of their family business. Using an interview approach, the researchers recorded the professional stories of 15 family firm owners and managers. Through the interpretation of the narrative material emerged that the interviewees never mentioned the role that family-centred non-economic goals (i.e., ‘family harmony’, the ‘family social status’ and ‘the family identity’) plays in the performance of the family firms. Contrary, non-family non-economic goals, such as innovation and internationalisation, are considered two keys growth drivers. In particular, if both innovation and internationalisation have equal importance amongst the current goals, internationalisation assumes a greater importance in relation to the future goals of growth. Keywords: Goal setting process; Family business; Growth Strategy; Narrative analysis

The importance of social media is evident, as millions of people use it to connect with others, share content and discuss different topics. Although it is clear that social media is powerful and ubiquitous, many fashion brands have been reluctant or unable to develop strategies and allocate resources to effectively engage with the new media. Adopting an exploratory approach, our study provides a critical assessment of the use of social media by three international fashion brands, in order to identify its potential as a strategic marketing tool.

Outward Foreign Direct Investments (OFDI) from emerging economies have begun to increase significantly and have been growing at a faster pace than FDI from the developed world. The research seeks to assess the impact of Chinese acquisitions and their implications for the Made in Italy luxury sector and its firms. This paper presents the preliminary results stemming from a single case study on a Chinese acquisition in order to provide some in-depth insights over the influences and the motives driving Chinese firms to invest in the luxury Made in Italy, the patterns and modes of the Chinese acquisitions as well as the competitive strategies and the distinctive challenges that both investors and acquired firms have to face. From the findings, it emerges that both the investor and the acquired firm need to overcome several key challenges if they want to mutually benefit from the acquisition.

The aim of the paper is to identify the main strategic goals that are deemed as strategic by the owner/managers for the future growth of a family firm, and to assess how innovation ad internationalisation are included in such goals. By relying on 15 in-depth interviews with family firms’ key informants (i.e. family firms’ owners, managers and professionals), the study makes an original contribution that is significant and relevant both from a theoretical and a methodological perspective. In relation to the former, it provides a comprehensive review of the main family business goal setting models in order to identify the relevant categories used to classify the goals. Additionally, differently from extant research the study outlines the pivotal importance of innovation and internationalization as strategic goals for family firms’ growth. In relation to the latter, by relying on a narrative approach, the study provides a finer-grained understanding of how internationalization and innovation are conceived with respect to traditional characteristics of the family firms.

The competitiveness of the Made in Italy luxury industry is in question. Traditionally Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has flowed from the advanced developed economies into developed and developing countries. More recently a new trend has emerged in the pattern of FDI. Outward bound FDI from emerging economies has begun to increase significantly and has been growing at a faster pace than FDI from the advanced developed world. The proposed project seeks to to study the impact of Chinese acquisitions and their impact on the Made in Italy luxury sector and its stakeholders. The proposed project has been funded by Marie Curie CIG grant and will start next June. The overall goal of the project is to establish and implement a substantial research agenda that will assist policy makers in responding to this trend and will be of value to all stakeholders in the Italian luxury industry as they face this facet that inevitably globalization entails.

The purpose of this chapter is to address the extent to which quality management is “culture-specific.” The chapter presents the results of a survey administered across 21 countries that seeks to examine quality priorities and practices by adopting the Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness (GLOBE) framework (House et al., 2004). Drawing on previous research (Vecchi & Brennan, 2011), data was collected in 2009 as part of the fifth iteration of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS). The methodology involved the use of a self-administered questionnaire to director/head of operations/manufacturing in best practice firms within the sector of firms classified by ISIC codes (rev.3.1) Divisions 28-35. From this study, it emerges that adopting the GLOBE framework provides an invaluable insight into understanding quality management across countries. While some previous research portrays quality management as a comprehensive management paradigm with elements and relationships that transcend cultural and national boundaries, the current study provides evidence that the adoption of certain quality practices across different countries can follow distinctive patterns.

This chapter aims to open a dialogue on the importance and influence of sizing technology and fashion metadata on fashion e-commerce, especially the use of body metadata and garment metadata. It describes the e-Size project, its objectives, its contribution to specific innovation areas, the methodological approach adopted, as well as presenting the results of an exploratory survey administered to a convenience sample of customers in the attempt to assess the potential validity of the use of sizing software applications amongst fashion retailers. The chapter consists of six sections. The first section outlines the opportunities and challenges for online fashion retailers, the second and third sections analyze fashion metadata (What & How) and Size Technologies for Online Fashion Retail, the fourth section describes the methodology adopted. While the fifth section highlights the preliminary findings of the research, the final section illustrates the conclusion, their limitations and directions for further research.

This chapter broadly describes the e-Size project and presents the preliminary results of its first pilot test—an exploratory survey administered to a convenience sample of customers in an attempt to establish whether the integration of a size recommendation application into a menswear fashion retail website was successful by verifying the size recommendations made by the application and to assess the user experience of the application in order to determine its suitability for live user testing on the retailer’s website. From the preliminary findings, it emerges that all participants found the size recommendation application easy to use. The majority of participants received the correct size recommendation from the application and would be willing to use the application due to its helpfulness in providing a size recommendation when shopping online; however, users’ personal style and fit preference are important factors, irrespective of the size that fits them correctly. By integrating additional garment and fit information into the application, retailers can ensure that every user will be able to receive a tailored recommendation that meets both their size and personal style preferences.

The chapter is focused on the initiatives Benetton has implemented in order to keep up with competitors in the context of the apparel industry from 1990s until nowadays. The most remarkable transformations in Benetton's strategy are the shift from an Italian network of suppliers to a global one and the series of initiatives put into practice to align with fast fashion principles, such as the implementation of a dual supply chain and the transition from a franchising strategy to directly owned megastores. With regards to fast fashion, a comparison with Zara is presented. The aim of the chapter is to provide a complete view of Benetton's evolution, showing its responses to the changes in the apparel industry, in particular in the context of fast fashion.

Although it is clear that social media is powerful, many luxury fashion brands have been reluctant or unable to develop strategies and allocate resources to effectively engage with the new media. Adopting an exploratory approach, this chapter studies the use of social media in the luxury fashion industry through three case studies from the Italian market. The aim is to understand the role of social media as a strategic marketing tool and its broader implications to the overall marketing strategy. The findings arising from this research can help practitioners and managers to make sense of the social media environment and better understand how to design social media activities to engage with the luxury fashion consumer.

Advances in the space industry, with its implications on science, economy and well-being of citizens, is mostly chosen as one of the priority areas for development by developing countries and newly industrialized countries. However, there is already an over-capacity in the global space industry and there are doubts on necessity of additional capacity establishment by developing countries and newly industrialized countries. Drawing on the experience of internationalization of an Italian Small Medium Enterprise, this chapter provides some insights over the challenges experienced by developing countries and newly industrialized countries to attract foreign investments for the establishment of the industry. The study relies on a structured research protocol where primary data was collected from several interviews with the firm and European space agencies.