Internationalisation of Italian shoemaking districts: some empirical evidence from the Marche region

Focusing on the Fermano-Maceratese shoemaking district as one of the most important industrial district in Italy, this study attempts to identify the strategic responses undertaken by district companies to face new competitive challenges derived from globalisation. Literature and professionals suggest that internationalisation on upstream and downstream markets is a necessary strategic path to pursue in order to preserve competitive advantages. However, it is not given that all district firms are able or willing to internationalise. Drawing from transaction cost theory, the Authors hypothesize that internalisation is positively correlated to the size of company as this strategy entails the externalisation of production activities and the payment of significant transaction costs that only larger companies can afford. Thus, smaller firms should be pushed to identify alternative paths to survive in the long-term. What emerges from the empirical analysis is that internalisation does not strictly depend on size. Company’s involvement in international markets is mainly linked to the type of company either end-user or auxiliary. Moreover, the district appears as an heterogeneous scenario with firms of different dimensions that search for various responses to the new challenges besides internationalisation. Actually, internationalisation is not always a guarantee of success and growth