The impact of the pandemic crisis on the digital transition process of Italian SMEs

Paola Paoloni (), Martina Manzo and Veronica Procacci

MANAGEMENT CONTROL, 2023, vol. 2023/2 Suppl., issue 2 Suppl., 83-107

Abstract: In recent years, the digital revolution has impacted the entrepreneurial system globally, forcing companies to review their business models, products, and services value proposition. Companies must implement digital technologies in production processes to exploit new opportunities. This requires investing in machinery and devices and acquiring new knowledge. The national and European economic system mainly comprises Small and Medi-um-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), characterized by low managerial skills and under-capitalization, which may hinder the required investments in information technol-ogy. In Italy, the digital transition is constrained by the structural limits of its conserva-tive entrepreneurial fabric. However, the recent pandemic crisis has accelerated this digital transition process. More and more companies have invested in R&D to increase the production process's automation level and improve their digital capa-bilities. Literature has been widely investigating the impact of the pandemic crisis on the innovation process of SMEs adopting different perspectives. The study aims to answer the following research questions (RQs). RQ1: Which main foci can be identified in literature facing the impact of COVID-19 on the SMEs? innovation process? RQ2: Which new needs arose during the pandemic fostering digitalization? To answer RQ1, a Structured Literature Review (SLR) is adopted (128 studies identified on the SCOPUS database). To answer RQ2, a qualitative methodology is used based on direct observation of two Italian firms

Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/Scheda_Rivista. ... 057&Tipo=ArticoloPDF (text/html)
Single articles can be downloaded buying download credits, for info: https://www.francoangeli.it/DownloadCredit

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fan:macoma:v:html10.3280/maco2023-002-s1005

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.francoang ... o.aspx?IDRivista=166

Access Statistics for this article

MANAGEMENT CONTROL is currently edited by FrancoAngeli

More articles in MANAGEMENT CONTROL from FrancoAngeli Editore
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Stefania Rosato ().