Made in Italy and the global supply chain: winning strategy or unavoidable loss of know-how?

The gaps in the export performance between Italian industry and its main competitors have (re)focused attention on the concept of "bazaar economy". In the specific case of Italy, the hypothesis of an economic model such as that of the bazaar economy would translate into significant impacts in terms of both new opportunities (the possibility of the more downstream manufacturing companies to expand their potential sources of procurement) and threats (the risk of an excessive loss of manufacturing know-how). The production supply chains are ideal for investigating the level and speed of global integration. The analysis focuses on three supply chains highly representative of the traditional made in Italy production models: Food & Beverages; Fashion; and Wood & Furniture. According to the supply chain logic, the analysis will focus on the degree of dependency on the foreign markets of the diverse phases and the impact of the 2008-2009 financial crisis on the financial results of the companies of the different supply chains.