Diagnosing the Competitiveness of SMEs on International Markets: Conception and Testing of an Innovative Software

A firm’s ability to enter a foreign market entails the activation of a screening process that starts with the selection of those markets held to be interesting in that they are compatible with the specific features of the product on offer, the characteristics of the firm and the expectations of its management. Starting from this assumption, the study aims to identify a suitable method for analysing foreign markets and establish criteria for monitoring firms’ internal skills (with the aid of a software application created ad hoc), in order to adopt a suitable internationalisation strategy that also makes use of the internet. The field of inquiry chosen for the application of the proposed method–wine tourism, see the box below–derives from specific research interests (which are connected to projects currently in progress). However, it also reflects current market trends, especially the growth of “destination Puglia”–a region with a long tradition of winemaking, now characterised by a strong shift towards higher quality–as an ideal location for wine tourists. This is confirmed by the American