Giuseppe Calabrese
CERIS-CNR
Via Real Collegio, 30
10024 Moncalieri (To)
g.calabrese@ceris.cnr.it

Abstract. The aim of this working paper is to analyse the best practices of a sample of manufacturing firms that have carried out lasting best performance in terms of solvency, growth and profitability.
Firstly, the paper analyses the factors that have favoured or hindered best performance, that is: size; ownership and corporate structure; product and production strategies; competitive and international position; human resources management; product and process development, and so on.
Secondly, the paper analyses the correlation between size, qualitative and relational growth. By cluster analysis, three groups of firms have been defined with different levels of qualitative and relational contents. The clusters are the dependent variable of an ordered logit regression and the explanatory variables are the performance and structural variables.
The research has been founded by the Piedmont Region and, consequently, is focused on the manufacturing companies located in this region.

Keywords: Best performance, Best practice, Manufacturing firms, Size growth

Jel Code: L60, M10