Italian firms in China: emerging business models for family firms

For family firms, the international context is a challenge to be faced by focusing on the mobilization and sharing of resources and competences of other actors. This can be achieved by creating strategic relationships re-shaping the structure of the supply chain, both within the country of origin system and abroad. This paper aims to provide some descriptive evidence and interpretations of how Italian family firms approach the Chinese market, which has been studied due to the high cultural and geographical distance that exists between the two countries. Particular attention will be paid to: analysing the importance of the cultural variable in the context of international activities; examining collaborations with different players in the chain, both national and international; identifying virtuous behaviours and successful business models that can ensure an enduring presence to a family business in China. In support of the basic theoretical considerations, the results of a study on a sample of Italian family firms operating in China will be presented. The methodology is organized in two stages: a quantitative study to gather general information on strategies and tactics that are adopted on the Chinese market (338 family firms), and a qualitative study (on 22 selected family firms) to investigate the most significant managerial and marketing issues to succeed in China (strategies, co-operation, competences).