Internationalization of Family Business: The Prosecco Family Firms Case

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to understand how family firms react to foreign markets and opportunities. The main issue of the topic is to figure out if the family firms internationalize more or less respect to the other business models, and consequently if the presence of the family represents an added value or a restraint to the firm’s growth. An empirical research has been done on the family firms belonging to the Prosecco District. A qualitative research has been done investigating the role of the family, the role of the Consortium for the Prosecco wine, the entry mode to foreign markets, the country of origin and territorial denomination importance in the international markets, and the role of the family in managing the internationalization of the business.