Servitization strategy adoption: evidence from Italian manufacturing firms

Purpose Despite the widespread application and implementation of servitization strategy by manufacturing firms worldwide, little attention has been devoted to its adoption by European-Mediterranean countries, such as Italy. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to fill this gap by investigating if and how Italian manufacturing firms adopt a servitization strategy. Design/methodology/approach According to the paper's aim, the survey methodology has been chosen and a specific questionnaire has been constructed by adopting and adapting the questions used by Baines et al. (2010). Key respondents were CEOs and General Managers of the manufacturing firms surveyed. Findings Findings show the main features and determinants of the adoption of a servitization strategy by Italian manufacturers as well as a comparison between them and UK manufacturers, determining both theoretical and practical implications. Originality/value The paper examines the little-researched adoption of servitization by Italian manufacturing firms, contributing to the servitization research and providing evidence on its trends in a specific European-Mediterranean region.