A Matter of Authenticity: Revealing the Essence of Made in Italy in a Changing Global Scenario.

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is an attempt to show how Italian companies can preserve the authenticity of Made in Italy in an increasingly globalised and technologically advanced context. The first chapter contains a careful analysis of the literature related to the Made in Italy concept, defining its origins and analysing in detail the sectors that most characterise it and make it known and appreciated all over the world. Indeed, Italy, with its products, is one of the countries characterised by a positive COO effect and is among the top performers in the Nation Brand Index: this positive reputation is demonstrated by the extraordinary success of exports of Italian products. Then, the second chapter deals with the central theme of the paper, which is the impact of delocalisation on the authenticity of Made in Italy, focusing on the importance of the know-how underlying the product design, which often prevails over the territory where a product is manufactured. The chapter leads to the definition of a matrix presenting a series of real cases of companies that combine the two variables 'Made in Italy' and 'Design in Italy' in different ways, identifying those where authenticity is preserved and those where it is compromised. Finally, in the last chapter, I focus on the case study of Nexion Tiles as an example of a successful player in the international market that has managed to combine the authentic Made in Italy know-how with Indian production, demonstrating how Italian excellence can successfully meet international challenges.