Abstract
The aim of this work is to study the strategy formation process in the medium sized firms, focusing attention on their specificities respect to small and big firms. The paper describes the findings that have emerged from a investigation focused on a selected cases of firms belonging to the Ligurian region and operating in the food industry. The paper is articulated in three sections. The first section defines the tipology “medium sized firms”. The second presents theoretical framework. The literature review helps to individuate the fundamentals and tools necessary to analyse the strategy formation process in the mediumsized firms. The third describes the methodology and shows the principal results of the case study research. The last section is focused on the concluding remarks.References
Acklesberg R. Arlow P. (1985), “Small business do plan and it pays off”, Long Range Planning, pp. 61–67 October.
Ansoff I.H. (1965), Corporate Strategy, McGrow-Hill, New York, 1965
Aram J.D., Cowen S.S. (1990), “Strategic Planning for Increased profit in the Small Business”, Long Range Planning, Vol. 23, n. 6, pp. 63-70.
Burke G.I., Jarratt D.J. (2004), “The influence of information and advice on competitive strategy definition in small- and medium-sized enterprises”, Qualitative Market Research: An
International Journal, Vol. 7, n. 2, 126-138
Butera F., a cura di, (1998), La media impresa costruita per durare, Franco Angeli, Milano.
Cafferata R. (1988) “Piccoli risparmiatori, piccolo imprese. Chi comanda l’impresa?, Piccola impresa/Small Business, n. 2.
Cafferata R. (2009), Management in adattamento. Tra razionalità economica e imperfezione dei sistemi, Il Mulino, Bologna.
Caselli L. (1983), Industria e servizi in un’economia matura: il caso Liguria, Franco Angeli, Milano.
Casson M.C. (1990), Entrepreneurship, Elgar Reference Collection, Aldershot.
Chandler A.D. (1962), Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of the Industrial Enterprice, The M.I.T. Press, Cambridge.
Churchill N.V., Lewis V.L: (1983), “The five stages of small business growth”, Harvard Business Review, may, june.
Colli A. (2003), Presentazione del volume “Le Medie imprese industriali del Nord Ovest”, in Indagine sulle medie imprese industriali italiane (commenti e testimonianze), Mediobanca
Unioncamere.
Coltorti F. (2004), “Le medie imprese industriali italiane: nuovi aspetti economici e finanziari”, in Economia e politica industriale, n. 121.
Corbetta G. (2000), Le medie imprese. Alla ricerca della loro identità, Egea, Milano.
Dalli D. (2009), “Imprenditorialità”, in Varaldo R., Dalli D., Resciniti R., Tunisini A., Un tesoro emergente. Le medie imprese italiane dell’era globale , FrancoAngeli, Milano.
Dalli D., Tunisini A. (2007), “Processi e Competenze di marketing nelle Medie Imprese italiane: opportunità e limiti per la crescita”, Mercati e Competitività, 2.
Demattè C., (1991), “Riflessioni intorno al ruolo imprenditoriale”, Economia e Management , 22.
Dubini P. (1995), “Piccole imprese” in Caselli L. (a cura di), Le parole dell’impresa, Franco Angeli, Milano.
Esposito De Falco S. (2008), Dimensione e competitività. La media impresa quale protagonista del Made in Italy, Cedam, Padova.
Ferrero G., (1992), Struttura, strategia e processi innovativi nelle piccole Imprese, Lint, Trieste.
Fortis M. (2004), “Pilastri, colonne, distretti: una tassonomia delle principali imprese italiane”, in Economia e politica industriale, n. 121.
Gandolfi V. (2003), Il governo delle imprese, Uninova, Parma.
Gandolfi V. (2009), “La pianificaizone strategica”, in Di Bernardo B., Gandolfi V. Tunisini A., Economia e Management delle imprese, Hoepli, Milano.
Genco P. e Ferrara G. (1995), Le strategie, in AA.VV. a cura di Caselli L., Le parole dell’impresa, FrancoAngeli, Milano.
Genco P., (2007) “Il significato del terziario nei sistemi economici avanzati”, in Genco P. (a cura di), Il terziario tra innovazione e tradizione. Il caso della Liguria, Franco Angeli, Milano.
Gennaro P. “Le imprese familiari di grande dimensione in Italia”, Sviluppo e Organizzazione, n. 87, 1985.
Gibb A. Scott M. (1985), Strategic awareness personal commitment and the process of planning in the small business, Journal of Management Studies 22 (6) (1985), November.
Gibb A., Scott M. (1985), Small business do plan and it pays off, Long Range Planning, pp. 61–67 October.
Gibson B., Cassar G. (2002), “Planning behavior variables in small firms”, in Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 40, N. 3, pp. 171-186
Hart S., (1992), “An integrative framework for strategy-making processes”, Academy of Management Review, 17, pp. 327-351.
Hart S., Banbury C. (1994), “How strategy-making process can make a difference”, Strategic Management Journal, May, 15, 4, pp. 251-269
Heracleous L., “Strategic Thinking or Strategic Planning?”, in Long Range Planning, vol 31, n.3, pp.481-487, 1998.
Houben G., Lenie K., Vanhoof K. (1999), “A Knowledge-Based SWOT-analisys System as an Instruments for Strategic Planning in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises”, Decision Support System, 26, pp. 125-135.
Kraus S., Kauranen I. (2009), “Strategic management and entrepreneurship: friends or foes?”, International Journal of Business Science and Applied Management, Vol. 4, Issue 1.
Lago U. e Minoja M. (1998), Gestione strategica nelle PMI: una raccolta di casi, Egea, Milano.
Lorange P. (edited by), (1994), Strategic Planning Process. The International library of Management, Dartmouth Publishing Company Limited, England.
Lorange P. (1980), Corporate Planning- An Executive Viewpoint, Prentice Hall, Inc.
Lyles M.A., Baird I.S., Orris J.B., Kuratko D.F. (1993),“Formalized planning in small business: Increasing strategic choices”, in Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 31, n. 2, pp. 38-50;
Marchini I. (1995), Il governo della piccola impresa; Vol.II – La gestione strategica, ASPI/INS-EDIT, Genova.
Marini D., a cura di, (2008), Fuori dalla Media. Percorsi di sviluppo delle imprese di successo, Marsilio Editore, Venezia.
Mazzola P., Marchisio G., Astrachan J. (2008), “Strategic Planning in Family Business. A Powerful Developmental Tool for the Next Generation”, Family Business Review, Vol. XXI, no 3, September.
Mazzola, P. (2003), Il piano industriale, Milano, EGEA, Milano.
McCann J.E., Leon-Guerrero A.Y., Haley J.D.,jr (2001), “Strategic Goal and practices of Innovative Family Business”, Journal of Small Business Management, 39 (1), pp. 50-59
Mediobanca e Unioncamere (2010), Le medie imprese industriali italiane, Ufficio Studi Mediobanca e Centro Studi Unioncamere.
Mintzberg H. (1985), “Of Strategies, Deliberate and Emergent”, Strategic Management Journal, n.3.
Nagel A. (1981) “ Strategic Formulation for the Smaller Firm – A pratical approach”, Long Range Planning, n. 4.
O’Regan N., Ghobadian A., (2005) “Strategic planning—a comparison of high and low technology manufacturing small firms”, Technovation 25 1107–1117
Peel M.J., Bridge J., (1998), “How Planning and Capital Budgeting Improve SME Performance”, , Long Range Planning, Vol. 31, No 6, pp. 848-856.
Penco L. (2009), “Fratelli Carli: Crescere nella focalizzazione”, Piccola Impresa/Small Business, n. 3.
Perry , S.C., (2001), “The relationship between written plans and the failure of small business in the US”, The Journal of Small Business Management, 39(3), 201-208.
Porter M.E. (1987), Competitive Advantage, The Free Press, New York, 1985 (tr. it., Il vantaggio competitivo, Ed. Comunità, Milano.
Rangone A. (1999), “A resource-based approach to strategy analysis in small-medium sized enterprises”, Small Business Economics, may, 12, 3, pp.233-248
Resciniti R. (2009), “La competitività”, in Varaldo R., Dalli D.,
Resciniti R., Tunisini A., Un tesoro emergente. Le medie imprese italiane dell’era globale , FrancoAngeli, Milano.
Resciniti R., Tunisini A (2009), “L’internazionalizzazione”, in Varaldo R., Dalli D., Resciniti R., Tunisini A., Un tesoro emergente. Le medie imprese italiane dell’era globale ,
FrancoAngeli, Milano.
Robinson R.B., Pearce J.A. (1983), “The impact of formalised strategic planning on financial performance in small organisations”, 4, pp. 197–207.
Robinson R.B., Pearce J.A. (1984a), “Research thrusts in small firm strategic planning”, in Academy of Management Review, Vol. 9, N. 1, pp. 128-137
Schwenk C.R., Scharder C.B., (1993), “Effect of Formal Strategic Planning on Financial Performance in Small Firms: A Meta Analysis”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice,
17(spring), 53-64
Sciarelli S. (2005), Il governo dell’impresa, Cedam, Padova.
Scott M., Bruce R., “Five stage of growth in small business”, Long Range Planning, vol. 20, n.3, pp45-52, 1987
Sexton D.L., Van Auken P.V. (1985), “A longitudinal study of small business strategic planning”, Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 23 pp.7 – 15
Shuman J,C. (1975), “Corporate Planning in Small Companies – A survey, Long Range Planning, October.
Simon H. (2001), Campioni nascosti: come le piccole e medie imprese hanno conquistato il mondo, Sperling & Kupfer Editori, Torino.
Simon H. e Zatta D. (2007), “Piccoli leader del mercato globale. I fattori di successo dei campioni nascosti”, in L’impresa, n. 3.
Stanworth M.J.K., Curran J. (1976), “Small business do plan and it pays off”, Long Range Planning, pp. 61–67 October.
Teder J., Venesaar U. (2005), “Strategic management in Estonian SMEs”, TUTWPE n. 126.
Varaldo R. (2009), “Introduzione”, in Varaldo R., Dalli D., Resciniti R., Tunisini A., Un tesoro emergente. Le medie imprese italiane dell’era globale , FrancoAngeli, Milano.
White J., (1998), “Introduction to special theme: Small and Medium Enterprise Strategy – A Small business Necessity, Not a Large Firm Luxury”, Long Range Planning, Vol. 31, No 6, pp. 813-814.
Zampi V., Zanni L. (1994), ‘’Natura ed evoluzione del concetto di imprenditore nella teoria economica: un breve quadro riassuntivo’’. Working paper, Pisa, giugno
Zanni L. (1994), ‘’Forme d’impresa ed imprenditorialità: stato dell’arte e prospettive di ricerca’’. Working paper: Napoli, gennaio
Zanni L. (1995), Imprenditorialità e territorio, CEDAM: Firenze
Zook C. (2004), Il segreto della crescita. Allargare il proprio mercato senza perdere identità, Etas, Firenze.
Ansoff I.H. (1965), Corporate Strategy, McGrow-Hill, New York, 1965
Aram J.D., Cowen S.S. (1990), “Strategic Planning for Increased profit in the Small Business”, Long Range Planning, Vol. 23, n. 6, pp. 63-70.
Burke G.I., Jarratt D.J. (2004), “The influence of information and advice on competitive strategy definition in small- and medium-sized enterprises”, Qualitative Market Research: An
International Journal, Vol. 7, n. 2, 126-138
Butera F., a cura di, (1998), La media impresa costruita per durare, Franco Angeli, Milano.
Cafferata R. (1988) “Piccoli risparmiatori, piccolo imprese. Chi comanda l’impresa?, Piccola impresa/Small Business, n. 2.
Cafferata R. (2009), Management in adattamento. Tra razionalità economica e imperfezione dei sistemi, Il Mulino, Bologna.
Caselli L. (1983), Industria e servizi in un’economia matura: il caso Liguria, Franco Angeli, Milano.
Casson M.C. (1990), Entrepreneurship, Elgar Reference Collection, Aldershot.
Chandler A.D. (1962), Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of the Industrial Enterprice, The M.I.T. Press, Cambridge.
Churchill N.V., Lewis V.L: (1983), “The five stages of small business growth”, Harvard Business Review, may, june.
Colli A. (2003), Presentazione del volume “Le Medie imprese industriali del Nord Ovest”, in Indagine sulle medie imprese industriali italiane (commenti e testimonianze), Mediobanca
Unioncamere.
Coltorti F. (2004), “Le medie imprese industriali italiane: nuovi aspetti economici e finanziari”, in Economia e politica industriale, n. 121.
Corbetta G. (2000), Le medie imprese. Alla ricerca della loro identità, Egea, Milano.
Dalli D. (2009), “Imprenditorialità”, in Varaldo R., Dalli D., Resciniti R., Tunisini A., Un tesoro emergente. Le medie imprese italiane dell’era globale , FrancoAngeli, Milano.
Dalli D., Tunisini A. (2007), “Processi e Competenze di marketing nelle Medie Imprese italiane: opportunità e limiti per la crescita”, Mercati e Competitività, 2.
Demattè C., (1991), “Riflessioni intorno al ruolo imprenditoriale”, Economia e Management , 22.
Dubini P. (1995), “Piccole imprese” in Caselli L. (a cura di), Le parole dell’impresa, Franco Angeli, Milano.
Esposito De Falco S. (2008), Dimensione e competitività. La media impresa quale protagonista del Made in Italy, Cedam, Padova.
Ferrero G., (1992), Struttura, strategia e processi innovativi nelle piccole Imprese, Lint, Trieste.
Fortis M. (2004), “Pilastri, colonne, distretti: una tassonomia delle principali imprese italiane”, in Economia e politica industriale, n. 121.
Gandolfi V. (2003), Il governo delle imprese, Uninova, Parma.
Gandolfi V. (2009), “La pianificaizone strategica”, in Di Bernardo B., Gandolfi V. Tunisini A., Economia e Management delle imprese, Hoepli, Milano.
Genco P. e Ferrara G. (1995), Le strategie, in AA.VV. a cura di Caselli L., Le parole dell’impresa, FrancoAngeli, Milano.
Genco P., (2007) “Il significato del terziario nei sistemi economici avanzati”, in Genco P. (a cura di), Il terziario tra innovazione e tradizione. Il caso della Liguria, Franco Angeli, Milano.
Gennaro P. “Le imprese familiari di grande dimensione in Italia”, Sviluppo e Organizzazione, n. 87, 1985.
Gibb A. Scott M. (1985), Strategic awareness personal commitment and the process of planning in the small business, Journal of Management Studies 22 (6) (1985), November.
Gibb A., Scott M. (1985), Small business do plan and it pays off, Long Range Planning, pp. 61–67 October.
Gibson B., Cassar G. (2002), “Planning behavior variables in small firms”, in Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 40, N. 3, pp. 171-186
Hart S., (1992), “An integrative framework for strategy-making processes”, Academy of Management Review, 17, pp. 327-351.
Hart S., Banbury C. (1994), “How strategy-making process can make a difference”, Strategic Management Journal, May, 15, 4, pp. 251-269
Heracleous L., “Strategic Thinking or Strategic Planning?”, in Long Range Planning, vol 31, n.3, pp.481-487, 1998.
Houben G., Lenie K., Vanhoof K. (1999), “A Knowledge-Based SWOT-analisys System as an Instruments for Strategic Planning in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises”, Decision Support System, 26, pp. 125-135.
Kraus S., Kauranen I. (2009), “Strategic management and entrepreneurship: friends or foes?”, International Journal of Business Science and Applied Management, Vol. 4, Issue 1.
Lago U. e Minoja M. (1998), Gestione strategica nelle PMI: una raccolta di casi, Egea, Milano.
Lorange P. (edited by), (1994), Strategic Planning Process. The International library of Management, Dartmouth Publishing Company Limited, England.
Lorange P. (1980), Corporate Planning- An Executive Viewpoint, Prentice Hall, Inc.
Lyles M.A., Baird I.S., Orris J.B., Kuratko D.F. (1993),“Formalized planning in small business: Increasing strategic choices”, in Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 31, n. 2, pp. 38-50;
Marchini I. (1995), Il governo della piccola impresa; Vol.II – La gestione strategica, ASPI/INS-EDIT, Genova.
Marini D., a cura di, (2008), Fuori dalla Media. Percorsi di sviluppo delle imprese di successo, Marsilio Editore, Venezia.
Mazzola P., Marchisio G., Astrachan J. (2008), “Strategic Planning in Family Business. A Powerful Developmental Tool for the Next Generation”, Family Business Review, Vol. XXI, no 3, September.
Mazzola, P. (2003), Il piano industriale, Milano, EGEA, Milano.
McCann J.E., Leon-Guerrero A.Y., Haley J.D.,jr (2001), “Strategic Goal and practices of Innovative Family Business”, Journal of Small Business Management, 39 (1), pp. 50-59
Mediobanca e Unioncamere (2010), Le medie imprese industriali italiane, Ufficio Studi Mediobanca e Centro Studi Unioncamere.
Mintzberg H. (1985), “Of Strategies, Deliberate and Emergent”, Strategic Management Journal, n.3.
Nagel A. (1981) “ Strategic Formulation for the Smaller Firm – A pratical approach”, Long Range Planning, n. 4.
O’Regan N., Ghobadian A., (2005) “Strategic planning—a comparison of high and low technology manufacturing small firms”, Technovation 25 1107–1117
Peel M.J., Bridge J., (1998), “How Planning and Capital Budgeting Improve SME Performance”, , Long Range Planning, Vol. 31, No 6, pp. 848-856.
Penco L. (2009), “Fratelli Carli: Crescere nella focalizzazione”, Piccola Impresa/Small Business, n. 3.
Perry , S.C., (2001), “The relationship between written plans and the failure of small business in the US”, The Journal of Small Business Management, 39(3), 201-208.
Porter M.E. (1987), Competitive Advantage, The Free Press, New York, 1985 (tr. it., Il vantaggio competitivo, Ed. Comunità, Milano.
Rangone A. (1999), “A resource-based approach to strategy analysis in small-medium sized enterprises”, Small Business Economics, may, 12, 3, pp.233-248
Resciniti R. (2009), “La competitività”, in Varaldo R., Dalli D.,
Resciniti R., Tunisini A., Un tesoro emergente. Le medie imprese italiane dell’era globale , FrancoAngeli, Milano.
Resciniti R., Tunisini A (2009), “L’internazionalizzazione”, in Varaldo R., Dalli D., Resciniti R., Tunisini A., Un tesoro emergente. Le medie imprese italiane dell’era globale ,
FrancoAngeli, Milano.
Robinson R.B., Pearce J.A. (1983), “The impact of formalised strategic planning on financial performance in small organisations”, 4, pp. 197–207.
Robinson R.B., Pearce J.A. (1984a), “Research thrusts in small firm strategic planning”, in Academy of Management Review, Vol. 9, N. 1, pp. 128-137
Schwenk C.R., Scharder C.B., (1993), “Effect of Formal Strategic Planning on Financial Performance in Small Firms: A Meta Analysis”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice,
17(spring), 53-64
Sciarelli S. (2005), Il governo dell’impresa, Cedam, Padova.
Scott M., Bruce R., “Five stage of growth in small business”, Long Range Planning, vol. 20, n.3, pp45-52, 1987
Sexton D.L., Van Auken P.V. (1985), “A longitudinal study of small business strategic planning”, Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 23 pp.7 – 15
Shuman J,C. (1975), “Corporate Planning in Small Companies – A survey, Long Range Planning, October.
Simon H. (2001), Campioni nascosti: come le piccole e medie imprese hanno conquistato il mondo, Sperling & Kupfer Editori, Torino.
Simon H. e Zatta D. (2007), “Piccoli leader del mercato globale. I fattori di successo dei campioni nascosti”, in L’impresa, n. 3.
Stanworth M.J.K., Curran J. (1976), “Small business do plan and it pays off”, Long Range Planning, pp. 61–67 October.
Teder J., Venesaar U. (2005), “Strategic management in Estonian SMEs”, TUTWPE n. 126.
Varaldo R. (2009), “Introduzione”, in Varaldo R., Dalli D., Resciniti R., Tunisini A., Un tesoro emergente. Le medie imprese italiane dell’era globale , FrancoAngeli, Milano.
White J., (1998), “Introduction to special theme: Small and Medium Enterprise Strategy – A Small business Necessity, Not a Large Firm Luxury”, Long Range Planning, Vol. 31, No 6, pp. 813-814.
Zampi V., Zanni L. (1994), ‘’Natura ed evoluzione del concetto di imprenditore nella teoria economica: un breve quadro riassuntivo’’. Working paper, Pisa, giugno
Zanni L. (1994), ‘’Forme d’impresa ed imprenditorialità: stato dell’arte e prospettive di ricerca’’. Working paper: Napoli, gennaio
Zanni L. (1995), Imprenditorialità e territorio, CEDAM: Firenze
Zook C. (2004), Il segreto della crescita. Allargare il proprio mercato senza perdere identità, Etas, Firenze.
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