Review of Contemporary Business Research

Open Innovation in the Italian Fashion System: Structural Characteristics in the Knitwear Sector
Maria Rosaria Marcone

Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence to improve the design value of the innovation processes that focus on aesthetic and rational factors. Innovation is central in the creative aspect of innovation processes as a market force. The clothing industry in Italy was chosen as a target context, because many innovative pioneering medium sized enterprises (MSEs) were operating in the industry. We have followed an inductive approach to the case study. Our in-depth exploration has enabled us to understand the problems, important issues and influences. Our research has important implications for theory and practice. In the current competitive context, more than in the past, it has become clear that creativity is a prerequisite for effective innovation for all businesses, independently of their size and of the business in which they operate. In the field of „economic enterprise‟ the „prejudice‟ of attributing the denomination of «knowledge intensive» only to a limited number of sectors, has been overcome. Our core contribution is the recognition of the importance of managerial skills not only resulting in better performance, but also adaptive capacity to technological change to new technologies, benefiting from enterprise-specific resources: the very heterogeneity of resources in the field seems to be able to favor the research field made up of non-large enterprises.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/rcbr.v7n1_2a3