International sourcing effectiveness in the fashion industry: the experience of Italian industrial districts

This paper investigates the impact of supply chain governance mechanisms on international sourcing effectiveness, with specific reference to Italian fashion districts. The internationalisation of the supply chain is challenging the traditional governance approach of district firms – mainly based on informal mechanisms – and seems to stimulate the adoption of innovative supply chain management practices. Our goal is to investigate – by using a Delphi method – how SMEs in Italian fashion districts are developing a mix of informal-formal governance approach in order to manage the higher complexity of an international supply chain. To pursue this research objective we use a conceptual framework developed from Uppsala’s internationalization process model. Considering the above, the article focuses on two key areas of international supply chain management: interorganizational knowledge sharing and risk management. Thus, it summarises the learning process fashion SMEs are experiencing in managing their international supply chains.