Title: The virtual internationalisation process of Italian SMEs in the food industry

Authors: Luca Giustiniano, Luciano Fratocchi

Addresses: Department of Economic Systems, University of L Aquila, P.zza del Santuario, 19, 67040 Roio Poggio, L'Aquila, V AQ, Italy. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of L'Aquila, Localita Monteluco di Roio, 67040 Roio AQ, Italy

Abstract: This paper aims to critically analyse the idea of global market space [1] and the generally accepted idea that internet and electronic transactions [2] can provide small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and bigger companies with the same access to global markets. This analysis is conducted in respect of wine and olive oil industries. Collected data clearly show the internet is still not a real tool in promoting the internationalisation process of SMEs. Some justifications are proposed. Firstly, it was noted that most of the analysed companies only approached the internet in 2000. As a consequence they have not yet developed a significant level of competences with respect to this new strategy. Moreover, the investigated companies seem not to have implemented Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools. Finally, the internet has often been considered merely as an adjunctive distribution channels and not as a completely new business system.

Keywords: e-commerce; internationalisation; internet; olive oil; small and medium enterprises (SMEs); wine.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBPM.2002.000117

International Journal of Business Performance Management, 2002 Vol.4 No.2/3/4, pp.231-247

Published online: 13 Jul 2003 *

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