Internationalization Strategies: Choices and Decisions - SAMMONTANA S.P.A. CASE STUDY

The human nature has always shown an inherent tendency to create connections, explore new horizons and establish new routes. The birth of trade in communities, cities and countries follows this principle and equal logics drive the internationalization processes of economic organizations. Numerous researches provide a useful theoretical outline to this phenomenon which, anyway, requires a company specific analysis. This dissertation aims at determining all the choices and decisions necessary for Sammontana Group, a food producing company, to successfully undertake an initial process of international development in the Ice Cream market. The present treatise starts with a detailed study of the theoretical background related to the motives and stages of the internationalization path, develops by analyzing all the aspects of interest in the foreign market selection and lastly gives a clear explanation of all the forces influencing the appraisals and decisions related to the foreign market entry modality. Following the theoretical explanation of the entire process, the study focuses over the market of ice cream, the sector of interest for Sammontana. Through a detailed examination of the Global, European and Italian ice cream market and its relative trends a first distinction is done. The results obtained by the international market research, joined with a deep analysis of Sammontana strategies and capabilities, gave birth to the proposal of internationalization in China. Therefore, in the process of delineating the internationalizing path for Sammontana an empirical study over the Chinese market was conducted in Chapter 5. In first place, the study took in consideration the economic, political and social environment and later focused over the Chinese Ice Cream market, its competition, trends and Sammontana Group potential positioning. The research has shown a remarkable opportunity for the Group to enter the Chinese market in the premium and super-premium segment initially through a direct export mode. Therefore, through this dissertation it is possible to outline a potentially profitable internationalization path.