The determinants affecting the internationalization of the Italian SMEs producing sparkling wines: an empirical study on the RBV of the firms

In the last few years wine industry has been characterized by profound changes that have determined an intensification of competition on a global scale. The aim of this study is to identify the firms’ internal factors that most influence the export intensity and the ability to fit into the international market of the Italian wineries producing sparkling wines through a Resource-based view (RBV) approach. Results of our study supporting the findings of previous empirical researches presented in this paper. In particular, the main factors affecting export intensity are: innovation degree and intensity of investment in advertising and promotion, among firms’ characteristics, and abroad experience, proficiency of foreign languages, educational level, and perception barriers, among managers’ characteristics.