Riassunto analitico
The present work focuses on the internationalization process of ceramic companies through direct exports, commonly carried out by sales intermediaries, such as agents or commercial representatives. The first two chapters introduce the internationalization path of companies wanting to open their business abroad, with a focus on exporting activities through sales intermediaries, the most common and profitable strategy adopted in the ceramic industry. Commercial agents and representatives play a fundamental role in marketing products across home country borders and managing their operation is thus an essential part of the exporting process. The topic of the third chapter is the ceramic tile market, initially analyzed at the global level and followed by the exploration of the Italian industry, with a focus on internationalization activities through direct exports and the primary destination markets for Italian tiles. The theoretical explanation of these chapters is aimed at providing a general background about exporting activities specifically in the ceramic sector and how to manage the export intermediaries carrying them out. This topic will be further investigated with empirical evidence from the company Cerdomus, a medium-sized ceramic tile manufacturer located between Faenza, the heart of artisanal ceramic, and the industrial ceramic tile district of Sassuolo.
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