The medium-sized firms (MEs) are the cutting-edge of the Italian manufacturing sector. They have a crucial role in influencing the behavior of the local systems whose they are part (2/3 of the total firms are located in industrial districts). This study investigates the drivers of Italian MEs‟ productivity, a fundamental aspect for assessing their ability to compete successfully. The classical approach (i.e. TFP) in measuring productivity is inapplicable to MEs, whose business model is characterized by: i) specialized production at the leading technological edge; ii) organization based on vertical and horizontal supply chains, where the major players are small companies, specialized on single production phase; iii) marketing strategy focused on market niches, which are created/dominated thanks to product differentiation and continuous innovation and where MEs impose premium prices. The empirical evidence shows that: i) the RTS are not constant, but decreasing and size and productivity are inversely related; ii) the quality of the workforce is the major driver of productivity: companies that employ a low-salary workforce are less productive than those that use more skilled and costlier workers; iii) territories matter: knowledge-intensive service firms as well as infrastructures and managerial skills have a positive impact on productivity.
Coltorti, F., & Venanzi, D. (2017). Productivity, competitiveness, and territories of the Italian medium-sized companies. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND FINANCE, 9(12), 86-100.
Titolo: | Productivity, competitiveness, and territories of the Italian medium-sized companies | |
Autori: | VENANZI, Daniela (Corresponding) | |
Data di pubblicazione: | 2017 | |
Rivista: | ||
Citazione: | Coltorti, F., & Venanzi, D. (2017). Productivity, competitiveness, and territories of the Italian medium-sized companies. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND FINANCE, 9(12), 86-100. | |
Handle: | http://hdl.handle.net/11590/326294 | |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 1.1 Articolo in rivista |